“Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. Then an expert in the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” —Matthew 8:18–22
In these verses, we are given two examples of differing attitudes of those desiring to follow Jesus.
In the first example, a teacher of the law approached Jesus, zealous and seemingly resolute. At first blush, one would assume Jesus’ response to this teacher would have been one of gladness and excitement. How strange that our Lord would have responded in the way that He did. Yet, knowing the heart of this teacher and perceiving his misplaced zeal, Jesus begins to describe to the expert in the law the cost involved in following Him. Jesus knew that emotional zeal without knowledge will not sustain anyone when times become difficult. Jesus does not want His followers to enter into their relationship with Him without counting the cost. True discipleship must include intentionality and sacrifice.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke:
“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him.” —Luke 14:28–30
In the second example, another disciple also desired to follow Christ, yet he wanted a delay in fulfilling his commitment. He was slow in performing, which—as we see from Jesus’ response—misses the mark as much as emotional zeal and hastiness. We must act on what we know … today. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
The request from the disciple wanting to return home was not really due to the death of his father, as he would have already been involved in the burial process. Rather, this was a desire to go home and wait for his father to die. Familial responsibilities are extremely important to the Lord Jesus and likewise they are to be valued by His followers as well, yet they are never to take precedence over Him. We must remember that only Jesus is to occupy the throne of our lives.
“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?’” —Luke 9:23–25
“Your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are to accept it cheerfully; you are to carry the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand judging it too severely. Jesus bids you to submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Don’t kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain conceit, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if He carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The ‘Via Crucis’ is the way of safety; don’t be afraid to tread its thorny paths … Carry your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will which becomes a follower of the Crucified.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
Become More
Emotional zeal will not sustain us when the winds of life blow hard. Our love for Jesus must be grounded in the knowledge of the truth of His Word.
Further Reflections
“Nobody can fight properly and boldly for the faith if he clings to fear of being stripped of earthly possessions.” —Peter Damian
“Great victory has never been possible without great sacrifice.” —Samuel Zwemer
“There is only one time that is important—now!” —Leo Tolstoy
“Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still: His kingdom is forever.” —Martin Luther