The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-07-07
Fisher Of Men
Lesson for July 8, 1861

It takes all kinds of people to
make a church. When a congre-
cation becomes known as a
middle class church" or a
Cadillac church" or by any
name that suggests there is only
one kind of persons who would
be interested in joining, that is
a dangerous sign. "They are not
our kind of people" is phrase
that can wreck a church. If
people had been kept out of
church because they don't fit the
pattern of the people already in
it. there never would have been
a church. There never would
have been the Twelve Apostles.
Man in a Bright Shadow
One striking fact about Jesus
was the variety of his friend
ships. He had a drawing power
for all sorts and conditions of
men. Now you mi ght have
thought that Jesus would per-
haps have no objection to all
kinds of persons in his general
following; but wouldn't he select
for the "hard core" of his new
movement men who were so
much alike that they really
would go leach for all and all
for each?" Men so well fitted
for one another that quarrels
would never arise? On the con-
trary, Jesus chose his inner cir
Gle from men so different from
one another that up to the very
eve of Calvary they were quar-
reling among themselves. Each
wanted to be top man. Now there
was one natural top man in the
group. His name was Simon but
Jesus gave him a nickname that
stuck longer than the name his
parents gave him. This was
Peter, a natural leader if ever
there was one. Now booming
bright big brothers are not al
ways easy to live with. Many
a younger brother without the
strength or abilities Of some
older brother has acquired an in
feriority complex. Simon Peter
had a brother. however. who
never seemed to be dazZled by
living in the bright shadow Of his
older brother. His name was An
drew, and he lived his own life
in his own right, a man less
able than Peter but not at all
cast down by that fact.
Man Of Action
Andrews name was Greek.
We're there Greeks in his
family? We do not know. We do
know enough about his life to
form a shadowy picture of a man
who was certainly much more
substantial than a shadow. We
know, for example, that he was
fisherman by trade. A man who
lives by fishing, you may count
on it. is a brave man, used to
emergencies and not scared by
them. He will be a man of mus
Gle too if he goes out seining as
we know Andrew did. He was
not poverty-stricken. but he was
not rich. He is first seen mend
ing his net. he had to make that
net do as long as he could. He
could not be extravagant and buy
a new net every time his old
one got torn.
We also know that Andrew was
one of those people, found every
where, who almost make it"
but never quite. Jesus had
circle within the circle of the
Twelve-Peter. James and John.
James and John were brothers,
so were Peter and Andrew. If
Jesus was a special friend Of both
sons of Zebedee. why not both
sons of Jonas? This sort of thing
again tends to throw some people
into a tailspin. IF I can't be
corn / don't want to be shucks'
is what some people say. But
Andrew was not cut down by this
at all
He knew About People
Andrew was a man of direct
action. He never wrote a gospel
nor any other kind of book. All
the pictures we have of him
snapshots" only-show him 60
ing somewhere. He is not noted
for any profound remarks, he
never even asked Jesus an i'm
portant question, as his brother
Peter did. This plain ex-fisher-
man seems to have been a man
of one talent. but that one was
important. It was the talent Of
knowing people. In Johns story,
Andrew was the first man to
make Peter acquainted with
Jesus. He was the man who in
a vast crowd found a boy with
a lunch. and somehow he per-
| suaded the boy to come along
and share his bread and fish.
Biased on outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu-
cation. National Council Of the
Churches Of Christ in the u. s. A.
Released by Community Press