Matthew 8:19-25: a reflection

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. To the eager scribe who promises to follow anywhere, Jesus says the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, warning that following him may mean forgoing comfort and security. To another who wants first to attend to family matters, he says, follow me, and let the dead bury their dead, teaching that nothing, not even good and pressing duties, may finally take priority over him. Following Jesus is costly, and it asks first place.

Then Jesus and his disciples set out across the lake, and a violent storm rises, the waves breaking over the boat. Remarkably, Jesus is asleep. The terrified disciples wake him: save us, Lord, we are perishing! Here is the other side of following him. The path may lead through real storms, frightening and dangerous, and at times it may seem as though he is unaware, asleep to your peril. Yet he is there, in the boat, and one word from him will still the wind and waves.

Hold both parts together. Following Jesus is costly and demands first place in your life, above comfort and even good things. And the road may pass through storms that terrify you and make you feel he is not paying attention. But he is in the boat with you, and his power over the storm is complete. When the waves rise and he seems asleep, do exactly what the disciples did: cry out to him. He who calls you to follow at any cost is also the one who can say to the storm, peace.

Lord Jesus, you call me to follow you above comfort and above every other claim, whatever the cost. Give me a heart that puts you first. And when the road leads through storms that terrify me and you seem asleep to my peril, help me to remember you are in the boat with me. I cry out as the disciples did: save me, Lord. Speak peace to my storm. Amen.