Seeds for 07/14/2023 - Matthew 8:18-22
Scripture: 18 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.”
Observation: This passage has a particularly difficult response from Jesus in verse 22. It seems callous on first read, and perhaps it is. But we need not obsess over explaining what Jesus means by that to observe an important dynamic in play here.
First, we see that Jesus has a variety of responses to a crowd gathering around Him. Earlier in the chapter, great crowds are gathering around Jesus and He heals several people, then later casts out demons and heals. Sometimes, however, like this instance, Jesus removes Himself from the crowds.
Second, we have two brief interactions with Jesus involving people who want to follow Him. The “teacher of the law” proclaims as much: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Next, “another disciple” asks one thing before joining Him: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Each reply from Jesus is curt and discouraging. Why might this be? The teacher makes a positive pronouncement. The disciple makes what seems like a reasonable request. In each case, Jesus presses against them.
Perhaps a danger in seeking to follow Jesus is failing to consider the cost. Each reply flies directly in the face of the seeker’s statement. It would be jarring to field those words after having engaged Jesus positively in the way that they did. They would stop and think twice about what they had said and about who this Jesus really was. In short, they would pause and thoughtfully consider what they were seeking. That’s Jesus’ point. Jesus wants disciples and after His resurrection, He’ll give a big command all about that. These two examples show that following Jesus is not something to do half-heartedly or on a whim. Jesus wants disciples, yes; and He wants a thoughtful choice. They see the healings and hear the teachings, but have they counted the cost? Have we?
Application:
Am I thoughtfully following Jesus or simply going along with the inspiration of the crowds?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, help me see what I need to give up in order to receive and take up the life to which you call me. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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Yes, this is hard to wrap my head around. We have been told to honor our mother and father. Burying one’s earthly father seems to fall within that commandment.