Matthew 8:18-22

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Matthew 8:18-22
In this text Matthew gives a sample reaction to the first three miracles in the nine he will present in chapters eight and nine. Just as Jesus is about to depart to the other side of the sea, a scribe impetuously tells Jesus that he will follow Him wherever He goes. Jesus seems to understand that the man has not completely considered the cost in following Him wherever. At the moment, the popularity of Jesus was riding high, but that did not mean He was living a comfortable lifestyle. He had no place to call home, not even a place to lay his head. There is a profound lesson we Christians need to learn from this simple text. Following Jesus is not a pastime, nor does it fit well in a “country-club” atmosphere. Discipleship is challenging and constantly demands a sacrifice of self and of the comfortable lifestyle to which we are so often accustomed.Another disciple is also eager to follow Jesus, but he asks if Jesus would first allow him to go and bury his father. Jesus’ reply is shocking: “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” It is possible that this man’s father was not yet dead and that this was the Jewish way of saying, “I will follow you once my father is dead.” If this is the case, this man is clearly procrastinating. It could be years before his father was dead. But even if his father was now dead, there was nothing further he could do for him and his request to do something first before following Jesus was unacceptable.

Again, every Christian must take these words to heart. Serving Christ cannot be done when life is convenient. It is not only a matter of priorities, it is a matter of urgency. The fact that Jesus bids him to let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead indicates that there is a pressing need to spread the gospel since others are still alive that may soon be dead. We need to learn to serve Christ with this same urgency. There are lost souls all around us who have no promise of tomorrow. An eternity without the Lord is awaiting them. If we do not do share the gospel with them, who will?
Berry Kercheville