Are you calloused? Do you have a sinical view of the world? Does anything surprise you? Does anything excite you? Is your excitement limited to momentary excitement, quickly dissipating once the event is over?
We all get excited for one reason or another. We are surprised by something unexpected happening. Yet, as we grow older, less and less surprises us and it becomes more difficult to get excited. We’ve simply seen too much.
Looking at today’s passage, we see Andrew get excited. As soon as he heard John speak about Jesus, he ran to tell his brother Peter. Notice it says he had to find him. It is not as if Peter was nearby. Andrew had to search for him. I can imagine Andrew hurriedly walking or perhaps running through the camps and groups of people along the Jordan. He might even have been calling Simon Peter’s name. Why? He had exciting news to pass along to him.
Are we equally excited about Jesus? Jesus should mean just as much to us as He meant to Andrew. He is the Messiah, Christ, Savior, Son of God. Telling others about Him, especially family members we love and care for, should be a top priority. However, from my own personal experience, I know it often is not. We assume we know what their reaction will be. We are afraid of being rejected by them. We are afraid of being made fun of.
Andrew was surprised to hear the Messiah had arrived and was energized to go tell his brother. His brother became one of the pillars of the early church and is still highly respected today. Who might we tell about Jesus who may become a pillar of the church and community?
I pray we all get excited about Jesus. I pray we decide to tell others about Him. I pray each one of us keep our excitement about Jesus and who He is for our entire lives. Be surprised. Be excited. Tell others about Jesus. Leave your fear behind. Be like Andrew.
John 1:40-41 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
Marty Pressey 