THE KING’S BUSINESS
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one word which Jesus is ever saying to men is, “Come” (Matt. 11:28-30). From that day to this, the Lord Jesus is saying to all who would know the truth and would know Him, “Come.” The one who comes “shall see,” not only see where Jesus dwells, but see God; for in Him dwelleth all the ful ness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2 :9). Jesus invites all sincere seekers after the truth to put Him to the test. It was four o’clock in the afternoon when the two disciples went with our Lord Jesus to the place where He was abiding. (Some, adopting another mode of reckoning time which is al leged to have been followed in Ephe sus, make it 10 o’clock a. m. Very few Bible scholars hold this view.) Hours of wondrous intercourse fol lowed. John tells us nothing of what was said, but it was one of the most momentous interviews in the history of this world. Some one has said, “The meeting of these two men with Jesus of Nazareth is the first' step in that which has changed the life, gov ernment, laws and relations of man kind for 1800 years.” Certainly more than fifty years, very likely sixty- eight years, had passed when John wrote his description of their meet ing with Jesus, but all these years had not effaced the memory of it from John’s mind. John’s mention of the exact hour is another of the marks of an eye witness and another of the characteristics of John’s writing. He is here looking back to the dawn of his own faith and the beginning of his own spiritual life. (2) The testimony of Andrew to Jesus 40-42. Vs. 40, 41. “One of the two which (rather, ‘that”) heard John speak (rather, “heard from John”), and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth (rather, “he findeth firsf’) his own
brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the (omit, “the”) Christ.” This is the first instance of missionary effort among the follow ers of our Lord Jesus. No sooner had Andrew found Jesus'than he went with all haste to tell his brother the good news and to bring him to the Christ whom he himself had found. Every one who truly and fully finds Christ will at once wish to tell some one else. One of the best evidences that a man really has found Christ is that he goes off to get some one else. Very naturally and very properly An- .drew began in his own family with his own brother, (cf. Luke 8:38, 39). There is an implication that Andrew’s companion on this occasion (whom we have already seen was John) also found his own brother. This is even clearer if we accept the text given in our Authorized Version, putting the_“first” before the “findeth,” but the weight of authority seems to be for the text given in the Revised Version, putting the “first” after the “findeth.” The emphasis in this latter case is upon Andrew’s finding his own broth er before he findeth any one else, rath er than his finding his brother before John found his. On every occasion in which Andrew appears in this Gos pel, it is more or less in a mission ary character, (cf. 6:8, 9; 12:22). Though it was Andrew who brought Simon Peter to Jesus, Simon Peter became the far better known o f ,the two. This is indicated in the 40th verse, where Andrew is spoken of as Simon Peter’s brother. Though An drew became an apostle, it is nowhere recorded that he ever preached a ser mon in his life. If he did, the Holy Spirit did not think it worth putting on record; but by his quiet, personal, hand-to-hand work he brought his brother Simon to Christ, and he preached a sermon on the Day of
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