Matthew 8:8 ”When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus was beginning to attract crowds and followers. All those miraculous healings in Capernaum had gotten everybody’s attention! But Jesus hadn’t healed people just to collect a crowd; nevertheless, when he reached the other side of the Sea of Galilee, there were already people waiting for him.
1. A teacher of the law wanted to become his disciple. Perhaps this man really was enthralled by the messages Jesus had been giving. He might have been a sincere seeker after God and truth. But, on the other hand, he might also have been looking at all those people and assuming that where there was a crowd, there must be money. Jesus quickly informed this would – be disciple that he, Jesus, had no place he could call his own and that even birds and animals were better off than he was. Anybody who wasn’t willing to give up the comforts of home and the honor he was already receiving as a teacher had no business attempting to be a disciple.
2. A second would – be disciple sounded sincere – who could fault someone who wanted to honor their father? But, there was more to the situation than at first met the eye. Perhaps his father was in excellent health and not at the point of death. What this man wanted was to hang around until his father died so that he could be certain of his father’s blessing and also of an inheritance. This man wanted recognition as a disciple while deferring obedience for an unknown period of time. “Lord, I’m so ready, but……not today, please!”
Jesus knew that his time of ministry was short and that he had to be about his Father’s business. It was vitally important that Jesus know who the true disciples were, who were the men and women upon whom he could count. Judges 7 tells the story of Gideon, whom God used to free the Israelites from the Midianites. Gideon began with 32,000 men; but when he allowed those who were afraid to go home, 22,000 left immediately! And then God showed Gideon how to test the remaining 10,000 so that in the end Gideon was left with 300 men. God used Gideon and those 300 men to deliver the Israelites.
Twelve disciples! That’s all Jesus wound up with. Only twelve men, and one of them turned out to be a traitor. But even Judas the traitor left home and family to follow Jesus. Later in Matthew 16:24 Jesus advised his disciples, “”Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Bill Borden was the heir to an enormous fortune; yet, he left everything to become a missionary to Muslims. Before Borden died with meningitis in Egypt, he described his discipleship: No reserve. No retreats. No regrets.
Today we are advised that we need to provide for ourselves and to be prudent. But the burning question that each of us must answer is this: will you follow Jesus? Will you follow Jesus, no matter the cost? Will you follow Jesus and risk becoming a laughing stock, an societal outcast? Will you follow Jesus if you must pay for your faith with your life? Thousands of Christians in Somalia, Burknia Faso and Nigeria have laid down their lives. The question you must answer today is this: WHAT IS KEEPING YOU FROM FOLLOWING JESUS? Eternity is waiting for the answer.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives! Help us to love you more than life itself, for you are the Source of all life. Keep us ever faithful. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.
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