Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
Celebrating St. Andrew: His Life, Death, And Eternal Hope

Celebrating St. Andrew: His Life, Death, And Eternal Hope

Last updated on: November 30, 2025 at 3:07 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

Celebrating St. Andrew: His Life, Death, And Eternal Hope 2025-11-30T03:07:47-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Plamen Agov • studiolemontree.com: Icon Of St. Andrew The Apostle By The Bulgarian Iconographer Yoan From Gabrovo / Wikimedia Commons

Today, we remember St. Andrew the Apostle. While tradition tells us some things about him, including the way he died, we should not neglect what we can learn about him from Scripture. He was the brother of Peter, and, even when Peter was married, it seems as if they lived in the same house (cf. Mk. 1:29). They were fishermen by trade, though they also appear to be religious, with Andrew having become a disciple of St. John the Baptist until John pointed him towards Jesus:

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother (Jn. 1:35-40 RSV).

We only get a glimpse of Andrew’s first encounter with Christ. He was one of two of John’s disciples who went to talk to Jesus. They spent the day with him. What they talked about and saw we do not know, but it was significant because it had Andrew believe had met the messiah. He went back home, told Peter, and had Peter come with him to meet Christ:

He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (Jn. 1:41 -42 RSV).

Many think this story contradicts the way Andrew and Peter were called by Christ in the Synoptic Gospels:

And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him (Mk. 1:16-20 RSV).

While it is possible these represent two separate traditions, two different ways Andrew and Peter were believed to have been called by Christ, it would not be difficult for someone to harmonize the accounts. What the Gospel of John indicates is their first encounter with Jesus. What the Synoptics give us does not have to be seen in the same way. They could have been engaging Christ for sometime, and then, when Jesus was ready to begin his itinerant preaching, he went to Andrew and Peter, telling them to come with him on his journey.

During Christ’s ministry, Andrew was connected to one of Christ’s most important (and symbolic) miracles, the multiplication of the loaves and fish:

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” (Jn. 6:8- 14 RSV).

Andrew, therefore, had a part in the miracle which showed the way Christ can and would work to transcend the expectations of his followers; Christ can take what is given to him in love and multiply it, such as we see in the way the loaves and fish were given to him so that they could be multiplied and shared by all. We are meant to have this in mind when, soon after, the writer of John gives us Jesus’ description of himself as the bread from heaven, the bread which we must eat to participate in eternal life, so as to let us know that Christ can therefore take what is given to him at the eucharistic table and transform it into something greater, that is, himself, so that his followers can partake of the bread of life.

Finally, for our survey here, knowing that he was also with the other apostles in many other events of Christ’s ministry, we find Andrew, with Philip, telling Jesus about the way some Gentiles (Greeks) had come seeking an audience with him. For Jesus, this was the sign that his earthly ministry was nearing its end:

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him (Jn. 12:20 -26 RSV).

When Godfearing Gentiles started coming to him, Jesus realized his work was almost done. His ministry began with the Jews, but it was not where it was to end. His work was for everyone. He knew he going to have all humanity come together as one, overcoming the distinction between Jew and Gentile, but for that to happen, he would have to complete his mission, the mission that began with the Jews. Only in his death and resurrection would he restore humanity, allowing the divisions which sin created come to and end. And it would be after his ascension that Peter would learn it was time for the church to be open to all, and people could come following their own cultural norms so long as those norms did not go against Christ’s teachings.

Thus, after the death and resurrection of Christ, Andrew was with the rest of the apostles at Pentecost. He joined in with them in their search to find someone to replace the role Judas had among them. While he might have encountered Jesus before his brother, his seniority in faith did not give him a greater position in the church than his brother, for it was Peter who was chosen to lead the apostles, and with them, the church. Let us learn from this that we all have our calling in and with Christ. Some who come after us, some who we might initially have taught, might be called to a ministry which would eventually have them become our teacher. However odd that might seem, we need to accept it. That is, we need humility, and like Andrew, not be concerned with our rank in the church and the Christian community. What we should be concerned about is following Christ in the way Christ has called us. Andrew did that, and as such, he journeyed far and wide teaching other what God had given him to preach, reaching, we are told, into Byzantium, where he established the beginnings of a Christian community. And then, he was, like most of the apostles, executed for his faith, glorifying God in the process, showing that he might have lost his life for the sake of Christ, but he did so only to gain it for eternity, the reality of which we celebrate today as we remember Andrew and eternity with Christ.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

General Christian

History and Religion

Andrew

Previous Post

November 28, 2025

Engaging Eternity: The Kingdom Of God Within

Next Post

December 1, 2025 Why Do Many Christians Show Indifference To Political Lies?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz