Andrew

Biblical Record

Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter and a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. His name is Greek and means "manly." John 1:44 identifies him as a man of Bethsaida. Mark 1:29 records that Simon and Andrew had a house in Capernaum.

• The call: In Matthew 4:18–20 and Mark 1:16–18, Jesus calls Simon and Andrew as they are casting a net, saying, "I will make you fishers of men." The two immediately leave their nets and follow Him.
• First encounter: According to John 1:35–42, Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. When he heard John point to Jesus as "the Lamb of God," he followed Jesus. He then sought out his brother Simon, told him, "We have found the Messias," and brought him to Jesus.
• The five loaves and two fishes: In John 6:8–9, when the question arises of how to feed the multitude, Andrew tells Jesus that there is a lad with five barley loaves and two small fishes.
• The visit of the Greeks: In John 12:20–22, Andrew, together with Philip, brings to Jesus the request of certain Greeks who wish to see Him.
• Other references: In Mark 13:3 he joins Peter, James, and John in asking about the end times. He also appears in the lists of the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:14, and Acts 1:13.

Significance Within Scripture

In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Andrew is among the first disciples to be called. In the Gospel of John he appears repeatedly as one who brings others to Jesus—first Peter, then the boy with the loaves, and then the Greeks. He does not, however, appear in the scenes of the Transfiguration or Gethsemane, where only Peter, James, and John were present.

Interpretations and Debates

• Differences in the call narratives: The Gospel of John recounts a first meeting at Bethany beyond the Jordan (1:28), while Matthew and Mark describe a call on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Conservative interpreters harmonize the two accounts by holding that the meeting in John came first and the formal call followed later. Some scholars regard them as separate traditions transmitted independently.
• Elder or younger brother?: Scripture does not say. He is commonly described as Peter's younger brother, but the text does not state this.
• The unnamed other disciple: John 1:40 does not name the other person who followed Jesus with Andrew. Many interpreters have traditionally identified him as the apostle John.
• Extrabiblical traditions: Accounts such as his mission to Scythia north of the Black Sea and his martyrdom at Patras in Greece have been handed down through church tradition and apocryphal writings such as the Acts of Andrew; they do not appear in Scripture. The depiction of his death on an X-shaped cross is generally thought to have become established only later. On the basis of this tradition, Scotland adopted him as its patron saint. The Eastern Orthodox Church calls him the "First-Called Apostle." The Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion observe November 30 as his feast day, and in the Western liturgical calendar the Sunday nearest this date is the First Sunday of Advent. Most Protestant churches do not observe separate saints' days.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestantism, Andrew is frequently cited in sermons on evangelism as an example of "one who brought people to Jesus." John 1, in which he brings his brother to Jesus, is especially popular in such sermons. In Sunday school lessons on the feeding with five loaves and two fishes, he is presented as the disciple who brought the boy to Jesus. Some churches name their men's mission societies or evangelism groups after Andrew. In Korean Catholicism his name is rendered "Andrea," and it is also well known as the baptismal name of Father Andrew Kim Taegon.