Scripture Daily

Context No. 4095 of 4322 · Matthew

Context · Reflection

Matthew 8:19-25: in context

19A scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” 23When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. 24Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. 25The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”

Two would-be followers approach Jesus, and to each he speaks a searching word about what following him really means. To an eager scribe who declares he will follow anywhere, Jesus does not offer comfort but honesty: the foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. And to another, who wants first to go and bury his father, Jesus gives a startling call: follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.

Two hard truths about discipleship stand out. Following Jesus is costly. It is not a guarantee of comfort or security; the Son of Man himself had nowhere to lay his head, and those who follow him may share his homelessness in this world. And following Jesus is urgent and undivided. It cannot be postponed until we have taken care of everything else first, nor placed behind other loyalties; when Jesus calls, follow me, the call is now and it is total. He calls us to count the cost, and to follow him wholeheartedly, without demanding comfort or begging for delay.

Am I following Jesus with a clear-eyed willingness to bear the cost and a readiness to obey his call now, without demanding comfort and security or asking to put him behind other loyalties and delays?

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