“Foxholes and Followers”
Matthew 8:18-23, Luke 14: 25-33
Although we are looking at Matthew 8 today, the context is actually from Isaiah 53: “Surely our griefs, He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Jesus came to die for sin. The wrath of God upon SIN is what Jesus bore. His substitutionary death was so that when WE DIE, we will not die eternally. In the meantime we are called to FOLLOW HIM, and to count the cost of following Him
After Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law and had healed many others in body and in soul and spirit. We read in Matthew 8:18: “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. 19 Then a scribe came and said to Him (a grammateus- we get the word grammar or grammatical- He was an expert in the Scriptures, and probably was a teacher himself, and he addresses Jesus as, “Teacher.”), "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man (a title given to Jesus which we will look at in a minute) has nowhere to lay His head."
To the Other Side: The Cost of Discipleship
It’s more than time to just find another venue. Jesus is surrounded by a crowd and He gave “orders to depart to the other side of the sea.” A learned scribe, who was an expert in the Jewish Mosaic law and probably a member of the ruling Sanhedrin, approaches Jesus. He was no doubt a man of wealth and influence, and he says to Jesus: “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Jesus responds with a statement that seems to be “beyond” the scribe’s statement (“beyond” is another possible translation of “the other side of the sea.” {peran in the Gr. The root word is “to pierce}. You might think that Jesus would say: “That would be great! Just start following.” But He tells the man that the “foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
Jesus is actually talking about the cost of discipleship. Foxes and birds at least have a place to call “home”, but the Son of Man, Jesus, has no such luxuries. If you are going to follow Jesus, don’t expect to have everything that the world offers, as a matter of fact, don’t even anticipate an earthly home. The Scribe no doubt was very established as a Jewish Leader, but as a disciple of Jesus, EVERYTHING you have is available to God for His Kingdom use: Private property is a cost to become a follower of Jesus.
The effects of Jesus’ coming to suffer for sins will be felt by those who follow Him, too: Following Jesus will NOT be a thorn-less “bed of roses.” You will suffer. You may have to give up your home and be “on the move” to follow Jesus. How different than the so-called, “American dream” which promises a home, two cars in every garage, and “a chicken in every pot.”
Following Jesus is “beyond” the normal, but it certainly would not include great crowds of admirers, as the scribe probably hoped for. The scribe was a person who loved to be admired by the crowds, but a follower of Jesus is seldom admired by the masses; public praise is another cost of discipleship.
When Nicodemus came to Jesus in John 3, Jesus told Him that you have to be “born again” by Spirit of God. There is nothing that YOU CAN DO, by which you become a “follower of Jesus.” He has to first work in you with the gift of Faith.
Look at Matthew 8:21: “Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead." Here the disciple wants to impose a condition to Jesus.
In the Jewish custom, it was an obligation for a son to honor one’s parents by providing a proper burial, and it is not that Jesus wants you to “dishonor” one’s parents, but there is no greater allegiance, no greater responsibility, nor greater love, than to follow Jesus. Everything else is secondary compared to following Him.
There is a cost to following Jesus! Look at Luke 14: 25: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not HATE his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. (to be a disciple of Jesus, you must love Him to such a degree, that in comparison, it would appear that your family is unloved.) Jesus is not telling you to despise your loved ones, but your family will almost appear to be “unloved” in comparison to the great amount of love you have for HIM.
27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (you have to denounce yourself; you must DIE to yourself to be a follower of Jesus.)
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' 31: "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Being a member of the kingdom of God requires careful planning and calculation. You don’t arbitrarily and hurriedly say: “I accept Christ as my Savior. I’ve prayed the “sinner’s prayer”, and now I am going to go about my life.” Serving Christ always comes with daily planning, daily humility, and it ALWAYS comes at a personal price and total and selfless sacrifice to the one who died for you. You give up ALL OF YOUR OWN WAYS to be a disciple, a follower, a student of Jesus. That’s what disciples do in order to follow another, and they consider it a privilege.
In the Kingdom of God, there isn’t room for second-guessing, insincerity, or hesitation in accepting Jesus’ Lordship. Seek first the kingdom, exclusively and wholeheartedly, and make no mistake, that following Jesus is the way of the cross that leads home, not the road of leisure and acceptance by men.
Matthew 8:23: “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.” This is EXACTLY the nature of discipleship- following behind the one who leads. We don’t lead. We don’t go ahead of Jesus. We don’t call the shots. We follow behind Him and do what He calls us to do. The disciples didn’t come up with an alternate plan, but followed Jesus.
The Son of Man
I want to take a few minutes to look at the term: “The Son of Man”. Listen carefully: In Ezekiel, which means “God Strengthens”, (in the OT), this phrase is used 94 times in reference to human mankind in all his weakness and total dependence upon a Sovereign God. In these cases, “son of man” refers to Ezekiel, himself. He was NOT the Christ but pointed to the Messiah, and Ezekiel functioned as a priest as well as a prophet. He certainly was a clear role model of the one who had “beautiful feet” adorned with the message of the Gospel to come.
This is not the same case in Daniel 7:13 when “Son of Man” is used: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days, and was presented before Him.” (Revelation 1:13, 14:14 employs the same expression: “One like a Son of Man.”)
Daniel 7:13 is actually the origin of the New Testament meaning of the “Son of Man” which is Jesus Himself: In Matthew 26: 64, Jesus says this: "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." The 84 times “the Son of Man” occurs in the New Testament it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Most times Jesus, Himself, uses it to refer to Himself.
The SUFFERING of the “Son of Man”, the humiliation of Jesus is described in many passages. He did not come to this earth to establish residence, but came in order to die for sin, that “whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Other passages clearly predict the EXALTATION of the “Son of Man”. He would certainly die for the sins of those who would believe and receive new life, but the Lord Jesus would not remain in the grave. Unlike any “natural” man, he arose from the dead. (Matt. 17:19). Certainly unlike any “natural man”, He ascended and returned to the place from which He came, where He now Reigns, and we know that He will Return to Judge.
Unlike ordinary man, the “Son of Man” is Lord of the Sabbath because He created the Sabbath. Jesus, the Son of Man, has the authority to “forgive sins”. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10) The Son of Man is certainly the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, who came to die for sin. The Son of Man was betrayed (Luke 22:22) but at the same time He is the LORD OF GLORY. Jesus never says “I am the Son of Man”, but each instance, it is clearly evident that HE IS THE SON OF MAN.
People probably thought that “the Son of Man” was merely a man, but when Jesus spoke and acted, He did so with the authority of the Almighty God. The Son of Man was NOT the nationalistic Messiah of Jewish expectation, but the Savior of the World, unique among every other man who ever walked the earth. Jesus came to earth in a humble state of being born to a virgin in a stable, but when He returns, it will be as the GLORIOUS and VICTORIOUS Son of Man.
OUTLINE: “Foxholes, Followers, and the Son of Man”
Matthew 8:18-23, Luke 14: 25-33
I. The Cost of Discipleship
A. Private property is a cost.
B. Public praise is another cost.
C. There is no greater allegiance than to follow Jesus.
D. Seek first God’s kingdom, exclusively and wholeheartedly.
E. A Disciple follows behind the one who leads.
II. The Son of Man
A. The SUFFERING of the “Son of Man” (Matt. 8 “20, 17:12, 26:24, 12:40)
B. The EXALTATION of the “Son of Man”:
Arose, Ascended, Now Reigns and will Return. (Matt. 17:9, 16:27, 25:31. 26:64)
C. The “Son of Man” is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8)
D. Unlike ordinary man, He has the authority to “forgive sins” (matt. 9:6, Luke 19:10)
E. Jesus will return as the Glorious “Son of Man”!
“Foxholes, Followers, and the Son of Man”
Matthew 8:18-23, Luke 14: 25-33
I. The Cost of Discipleship
A. Private ______________is a cost.
B. Public __________ is another cost.
C. There is no greater _______________ than to follow Jesus.
D. Seek first God’s kingdom, _______________ and wholeheartedly.
E. A Disciple _____________ behind the one who leads.
II. The Son of Man
A. The ______________of the “Son of Man” (Matt. 8 “20, 17:12, 26:24, 12:40)
B. The EXALTATION of the “Son of Man”:
_________, ___________, Now _________, and will ____________.
(Matt. 17:9, 16:27, 25:31. 26:64)
C. The “Son of Man” is Lord of the ______________(Matt. 12:8)
D. Unlike ordinary man, He has the authority to “___________ ________”.
(Matt. 9:6, Luke 19:10)
E. Jesus will return as the _____________“Son of Man”!
