Church Fathers Commentary John 1:41-42

"He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ). He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)." — John 1:41-42 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Andrew did not keep our Lord’s words to himself, but hurried to his brother to share the good news. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah," which is interpreted as, "the Christ."

The Venerable Bede: This is what it means to truly find the Lord: namely, to have a fervent love for Him, together with a concern for our brother's salvation.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelist does not mention what Christ said to those who followed Him, but we can infer it from what follows. In a few words, Andrew declares what he had learned, revealing the power of the Master who had persuaded them and his own previous longing for Him. For the exclamation, "We have found," expresses a longing for His coming that has turned into exultation now that He has truly arrived.

St. Augustine of Hippo: "Messias" is Hebrew, "Christus" is Greek, and "Unctus" is Latin. "Chrism" means anointing, and He had a special anointing which extended from Him to all Christians, as it appears in the Psalm: God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions. All holy persons are partakers with Him, but He is especially the Holy of Holies, especially anointed.

St. John Chrysostom: For this reason, he did not say "Messiah," but "the Messiah." Notice Peter's obedience from the very beginning; he went immediately, as is clear from the next words: "And he brought him to Jesus." Nor should we blame him for being too compliant because he did not ask many questions before accepting the word. It is reasonable to suppose that his brother had already told him everything in full, but the Evangelists often omit details for the sake of brevity. Besides this, it is not explicitly said that he believed, but only that he brought him to Jesus—that is, so he could learn from Jesus' own mouth what Andrew had reported.

Our Lord Himself now begins to reveal the things of His divinity and to display them gradually through prophecy. For prophecies are no less persuasive than miracles, since they are preeminently God's work and are beyond the power of demons to imitate, while miracles can be an illusion or mere appearance. Foretelling future events with certainty is an attribute of the incorruptible nature alone. When Jesus saw him, He said, "You are Simon son of Jonah; you will be called Cephas," which is interpreted as, "A stone."

The Venerable Bede: He saw him not only with His physical eye, but through the insight of His divinity He discerned from eternity the simplicity and greatness of his soul, for which he was to be elevated above the whole Church.

In the name "Peter," we must not look for any additional meaning, as if it were of Hebrew or Syriac origin, for the Greek and Latin word "Peter" has the same meaning as "Cephas," as in both languages it is derived from "petra." He is called Peter because of the firmness of his faith in clinging to that Rock of which the Apostle speaks, "And that Rock was Christ." This Rock secures those who trust in it from the enemy's snares and provides streams of spiritual gifts.

St. Augustine of Hippo: There was nothing particularly remarkable about our Lord saying whose son he was, for our Lord knew the names of all His saints, having predestined them before the foundation of the world. But it was a significant thing for our Lord to change his name from Simon to Peter. "Peter" is from "petra," or rock, and that rock is the Church; therefore, the name Peter represents the Church.

And who is safe, unless he builds upon a rock? Our Lord here captures our attention, for if he had been called Peter before, we would not have seen the mystery of the Rock. We would have thought he was called that by chance and not by providence. Therefore, God arranged for him to be called by another name first, so that the change of that name would bring the mystery to life.

St. John Chrysostom: He also changed the name to show that He was the same one who had done so before in the Old Testament, who had called Abram "Abraham," Sarai "Sarah," and Jacob "Israel." He had named many from their birth, such as Isaac and Samson; others He named after their parents had already named them, such as Peter and the sons of Zebedee. Those whose virtue was to be eminent from the beginning are given their names from the beginning; those who were to be exalted later are named later.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The account here of the two disciples at the Jordan who follow Christ (before He had gone into Galilee) in obedience to John's testimony—namely, of Andrew bringing his brother Simon to Jesus, who on this occasion gave him the name of Peter—disagrees considerably with the account of the other Evangelists that our Lord found these two, Simon and Andrew, fishing in Galilee and then told them to follow Him. This is not a contradiction, however, if we understand that they did not formally join our Lord when they saw Him at the Jordan, but only discovered who He was and, full of wonder, returned to their work.

Nor should we think that Peter first received his name on the occasion mentioned in Matthew, when our Lord says, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church," but rather when He says, "You will be called Cephas," which is interpreted as, "A stone."

Alcuin of York: Or perhaps He does not actually give him the name now, but only establishes beforehand what He later gave him when He said, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church." And in preparing to change his name, Christ wishes to show that even the name his parents had given him was not without meaning.

For "Simon" signifies obedience, "Joanna" grace, and "Jona" a dove. It is as if the meaning was: "You are an obedient son of grace, or of the dove (that is, the Holy Spirit), for you have received from the Holy Spirit the humility to desire, at Andrew's call, to see Me." The older brother did not disdain to follow the younger, for where there is meritorious faith, there is no order of seniority.