Welcome to the “But first, Bible” daily devotional podcast with Dave Miers.
Today’s passages are Genesis 23-24 and Matthew 8. I want to focus in on Matthew 8:18-22 for the next couple of minutes.
Throughout the gospels we regularly see Jesus teaching people to weigh up the cost of following him. It’s almost as if he wants to convince people for the reasons NOT to follow him to make sure potential disciples know what they are signing up for.
There are two things I want to show you from this paragraph about the priority of following after Jesus. We’ll do this under two headings COMFORTS & COMMITMENTS.
Have a look Matthew 8:18–20,
[18] Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. [19] And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” [20] And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
First, following Jesus involves giving up COMFORTS.
It’s a significant thing for a scribe – one of the religious teachers of First Century Israel – to be declaring his desire to follow Jesus. The religious authorities often clashed with Jesus and so it’s commendable of this person declaring their desire to follow after Jesus.
Jesus wants them to know exactly what that will involve. Jesus’ earthly ministry, literally involved travelling around, Jesus was effectively homeless and dependent on the hospitality of people taking him in. Foxes have a home, birds have a home, but the Son of Man – which is Jesus referring to himself – has no home.
One author suggested that this disciple, “does not understand that ‘follow’ means Gethsemane, and Golgotha, and the tomb” (Ibn Sa’id). Jesus’ ministry involved suffering, including rejection, anguish, his death on the cross, and his burial in the tomb. Following Jesus wouldn’t be easy or comfortable!
Was the scribe willing to forgo some of the comforts of this life to follow Jesus? We may not need to physically follow Jesus around like those early disciples, but are we will to forgo some of the comforts and securities of this life to follow after Jesus?
Have a look at Matthew 8:21-22,
[21] Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” [22] And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (ESV)
Second, following Jesus involves a reordering of our COMMITMENTS.
Now is Jesus suggesting that this man can’t go to his father’s funeral tomorrow? Maybe, but not necessarily. Most commenters suggest that this phrase of “burying my father” is less about going to the funeral of a loved one and more about waiting for a loved one to die – which could be a period of years – before undertaking the task of following Jesus. Elsewhere in the bible, like 1 Timothy, we see the importance of looking after older family members, so it’s not a call to be negligent.
But it is a call to have Jesus as our number one commitment. If you want to become a Christian your first allegiance is to be to Jesus and your priority will be to him even over ordinary family obligations.
It’s only the second week of a new year. As you seek to order your priorities in 2019, is following Jesus your first priority? What other things in your life need to be re-ordered to shows your allegiance to Jesus?
Following Jesus involves giving up COMFORTS and reordering our COMMITMENTS.
Until tomorrow, keep trusting Jesus.