Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John (the Baptist) 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). And he brought him to Jesus. (John 1:40-42)
Say the words “The Big Three” in golf, and you immediately think of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. As a recent links devotional pointed out, marketing genius Mark McCormack and IMG signed the trio, introducing the world to “The Big Three.” The rest is history.
In the shadow of the Big Three, there was another quite good golfer during that same era. His record speaks for itself. He won 51 times on the PGA Tour, which ranks as the 7th most of all time.
He has won more Ryder Cup points than any other American golfer in history. From 1964 to 1970, he won 27 tournaments on the tour – two more than the Golden Bear and six more than Palmer and Player.
If you’re still wondering who I’m talking about, let this quote from Lee Trevino give you the answer. “Even though they pushed and promoted the Big Three, in my opinion, Billy Casper was the best player in the mid-60s… he had every shot in the book.”
Billy played in the shadow of the Big Three, but that doesn’t lessen his importance or the contribution he made. In fact, the Big Three collaborated to write a heartfelt tribute to Billy in the foreword of his book, which was appropriately titled “The Big Three and Me.” When Nicklaus wrote “My Story,” his autobiography, he stated, “The trio really should have been a quartet.”
It just so happens that there was a “Big Three” among the twelve men Jesus chose as his disciples – Peter, James, and John.
These three men were closer to Jesus than the others, his “inner circle,” so to speak. They were the only three present when Moses and Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration. Jesus also chose these three to accompany him during his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
No one can dispute the significant role the Big Three played among the disciples, but I want to highlight another disciple who labored in their shadow. Look at any of the four gospels to see how the disciples are listed, and although the order may vary, you will always find the first four names to be Peter, James, John, and Andrew.
After hearing John the Baptist call Jesus “the lamb of God,” Andrew spent the rest of the day with Jesus and then excitedly told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” (John 1:35-42).
It causes one to wonder what might have happened if Andrew had not been so passionate about sharing Jesus with Peter, who went on to become the leader of the twelve.
We might not be in the spotlight like the Big Three were, but we don’t need to be. We can follow Andrew’s example and serve by confidently sharing the Good News of Jesus with others.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus. Give us the courage to actively share the gospel message with others. Amen