May 31, 2009 · John 1:40–42

John 1 35-42 - St Andrew

“Look what he did with Andrew's faith that if you just bring someone to Jesus, he will unlock that potential. Jesus will make the miracle happen. That's the job of a disciple. This boy's measly meal becomes a miracle just because Andrew pointed him to Jesus, and then we see another time in the Gospel of John when Jesus is being not yet crucified, but he's starting to get the Pharisees really mad at him. He's preaching in Jerusalem and he's in trouble. He's about to get crucified, and these people from, they're Greek speaking. They're not Jewish people, but they are coming to celebrate at the temple the Jewish faith. They might be God-fearers or they might be just Greek speaking Jews from far away that can't speak in the tongue of the land. … They want to meet Jesus. What does Andrew do? He brings them to Jesus. Three times in this Gospel, his only thing he does is he connects the person with Jesus and then Jesus takes care of it, and this is amazing. This is even before Jesus is dying, his message of the Kingdom of God is already starting to reach outside of Israel just like it was promised to Abraham. While Jesus is still alive, the Gospel of Christ is starting to go outside of Israel to other tongues and nations and lands just because Andrew had the foresight to direct them to Jesus, and that's what we can learn about the man whose name sits outside there on the stone. St. Andrew. That's what God is asking from all the churches in Toronto.”