Teacher, I Will Follow Wherever You Go
Matthew 8:18-22 “18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came 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."
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
It should not surprise us that Jesus decides to take leave of the place where He is. That there were great multitudes were of little consequence. There were great multitudes wherever He went. He taught with a great power and authority. And He was a compassionate healer. There had been no one like Him, before Him. In the previous verses it says that Jesus cast out spirits and healed all who were sick. As people traveled about, the news of the man who was preaching and healing preceded Him, and it did not take long for people to gather when He arrived. So, even though there were probably many more hoping to get near Him, He gave orders to prepare to leave. Jesus did not come to save and heal one town full of people or even one hundred towns full. He came to save and heal all who would come to Him. The gospel message, the good news of salvation and reconciliation having come, was for all men. And so, setting the example for the twelve that were to receive the commission to go into all the world, Jesus does not stay long in one place. And as He moves from one place to another, those willing to become disciples are sifted from the crowd that follows Him to get what they can from Him. Today, again, we will see the price that Christs’ disciples must be prepared to pay to truly take up their cross, and follow Him.
There were many who would follow Him as long as it was convenient. But the reality that Christ presented to those that asked to follow Him had a purifying effect; when you see true disciples of Jesus, you will always find people ready and willing to give up whatever it takes to stay with Him. Those not willing to make that kind of sacrifice soon fall by the wayside.
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
This man was a scribe. He was an educated man, one who by profession spent hours going over the Law of Moses, studying and teaching. We see them most times in the New Testament associated with the Pharisees. And most of the time, they were at odds with Jesus. But this one is apparently ready to put his differences behind him. It seems that he has seen and heard the truth and has been so affected by it, that he is ready to come fully to Jesus. His enthusiasm is to be commended. “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” This, it would seem, is just the kind of commitment that would please Jesus, and we would expect this scribe to be gladly accepted into the fold. But Christ here gives not only a warning to this man, but also to all of us: not all who come running to Christ have the kind of faith that it takes to truly make one a disciple. Some come because they have seen a miracle. Some come just for what they can get from Jesus. Here is what Christ said to this man: 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."
This was a discouraging statement. It was not the kind of statement one would make if they were seeker friendly. This is not the kind of statement you would make to someone, if church growth were your aim.
If we are to follow the examples that Christ lays out for us, what can we learn here? Just this; when someone comes running to Jesus, the first thing He tells them is this; it takes a willingness to sacrifice whatever is necessary to follow me. If you want to follow me, be prepared; we will not be staying at the nicest hotels. Jesus was not concerned about His comfort, and His true followers are to be like Him.
The Danish philospher Kierkagaard in a paper entitled "And I looked around and nobody was laughing" says this, "I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, "If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me." Kierkagaard was making fun of this rich church with the velvet pews, the minister dressed in a velvet robe, standing there reading the words of Jesus so solemnly; "If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me."
Jesus’ followers suffer from self-denial. Our Lord must be first. And the depths of our self denial may reach into our very most coveted relationships, and severely test our faithfulness.
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
This one was already a disciple. Apparently he had come to the decision that Jesus held the truth. He had abandoned whatever rabbi, or religious belief he held before, and had made a decision to follow Christ. But as he stands among the crowd, he hears Jesus give the order to move to the other side of the lake. As the boat is readied, this disciple starts to get a little nervous; “ Jesus is leaving NOW. I’m not ready right now. I need time. I have things to get in order.”
You may find that Jesus will call you to something in a moment when you feel the least prepared for it. In all of the commentaries I have read about the statement Jesus makes to this man concerning burying his father, the consensus is this; this mans’ father probably had not died yet. If the father was laying dead at home, this man would undoubtedly have been at home. So, what he is asking for is time to return to his family. “Jesus, I will gladly come and serve with you, but I have things in my life that will, at some point in time, need attending to. As soon as I have my business in order, I will return.” A true disciple of Christ must be ready at all times for the call. The call to serve is rarely convenient, and is never in our time, but is always when Jesus needs us.
But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Jesus redefined the family unit. True family is seen by Him as spiritually connected and blood relations are secondary.
Mat 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
It is with that in mind that he spoke to the disciple concerning his father. Jesus expects His followers to come to an understanding wisdom concerning who He is and what He is about. As you have heard over and over: our lives and our future do not lie here, but in the new system of things with God.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, even our children should be left if they are hindering our call from Jesus. There is absolutely nothing more important than serving God, for this is why we were created. You are not here just to create families, you are here to create families that worship God.
At the close of life, the question will not be,
"How much have you gotten?" but "How much have you given?"
Not "How much have you won?" but "How much have you done?"
Not "How much have you saved?" but "How much have you sacrificed?"
It will be "How much have you loved and served," not "How much were you honored?"
Prayer
