John 1:40-42 PODCAST
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). (John 1:40-42)
Andrew said to his brother, "We have found the Messiah." Andrew is the one who is always bringing others to the Lord Jesus. He brought Peter to Jesus, he brought the boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus. And, he brought to donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on to Jesus.
When Andrew and Simon Peter came to Jesus, Jesus, in v.42, looked at Andrew's brother, and said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Rock). The name Simon means listener. Simon was tuned to what everyone around him was saying. He was defined by the opinions of others. Their opinion mattered too much to Simon. We are defined by that which we worship.
When the Lord Jesus changed Simon's name to Cephas (Peter), which means rock, He was saying: Cephas (Peter) is going to arrive upon the truth that the Lord Jesus is God and upon that immovable foundation others will arrive at that conclusion because of Peter. The Lord Jesus is saying Cephas will become a steadying influence to everyone around him. The Lord Jesus instantly read Simon's weakness, but He saw the possibility of his greatness. By the way, Peter is "rock" in the Greek language, while Cephas is "rock" in Aramaic. And since the Gospels were originally spoken in Aramaic, Peter is called Cephas.
The first time the word "worship" is mentioned in the Bible is the first time the word "love" appears in the Bible, in Genesis 22. When coupled together, these words teach us that what we love we worship and what we worship we love. And, what we love and worship defines us.
Remember the story near the end of the gospels when, as Peter stood by a fire when Jesus was being tried, a young woman came up to Peter and said, "Haven't I seen you with him?" Immediately Peter is affected by what he hears, and he denies his Lord. This is the natural temperament of Peter. But by the end of Peter's life, he wilts not under such pressure, because he is gradually being convinced in the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ.
There are many in today's world who have this great capacity for strength, not so if we are defined by the wrong things. We must learn to listen to the right voice, otherwise we will be defined by the wrong voice. In the will of the Lord Jesus, we can become solid and steady like a rock. When we listen to the right voice, and follow the Lord Jesus above all other voices, we become like Peter: strong, solid, dependable, like a rock! Like Peter, we must go through stuff to get there.
