John the apostle wrote how John the Baptist said about Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said unto them, What are you seeking? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where do you dwell? He said unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother He first found his own brother Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ”, and in chapter one and verse forty-two of his book, John shares “when Jesus beheld him, he said … you shall be called Cephas” where we read:
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said,
You are Simon the son of Jona: you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
The verse reads, “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, ...” John began with the words, “and he brought him” which means “and Andrew carried and led his brother Simon” “to Jesus” whose name means “ Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate”. “And when Jesus” or “and at the time and moment the Son of God, Jesus” “beheld him” which means “observed, notice, discovered and discerned Simon”, “he said” or “Jesus uttered, declared and proclaimed” the following words. John shared how “Andrew” led his brother “Simon” to Jesus, and “when Jesus” saw “Simon”, He proclaimed the following words.
The verse continues, “... You are Simon the son of Jona: you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” John added the words, “You are Simon” which means “you exist as Simon which means a little rock or stone” “the son of Jona” or “the progeny and offspring of Jonah or Jonas which means dove”: “you shall be called” or “you, Simon, will be named or saluted as” “Cephas” which means “stone or Rock” “which is by interpretation” or “that is explained and translated that which has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular”, “a stone” or “a small rock or stone”. John shared how Jesus recognized “Simon” for the name he was called which was a “little rock”, but He renamed “Simon” to “Cephas” which means “a rock or stone”.
When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we learn how “Andrew” led his brother “Simon” to Jesus, and when Jesus saw him, He recognized “Simon” by current name, but renamed Him “Cephas”. This may seem a little confusing at first glance, but it will help us to know the first name, “Simon” is like a little pebble or grain of sand, whereas the second name, “Cephas” is like a solid “bolder”. “Simon's” encounter with Jesus was going to change Him, and anyone who believes and trusts in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” will inevitably be altered by Him. God is in the “changing” business, and when a person submits their life to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they are destined to be greater than they would ever be should they remain without Him. Let all who read these words submit themselves to Jesus who is willing and able to make them greater than they are.
Next time John shares how Jesus finds, “Philip”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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