These following verses show us the WRONG attitude and Jesus response.
Matthew 8:19-23
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Matthew 8:23-27
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Matthew 8:
“I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
Why did Jesus give this answer to the man’s reply, it’s rather unusual unless there is something we don’t see. My guess is who would not want to been seen with Jesus, he was the next up and coming famous prophet. To be joined with him, so thought this man, was to have it made. Jesus corrected him by simply saying I have nothing, even the animals have more than me. With this reply it seems that this would be disciple left. The second response from Jesus is even stranger. A man came to Jesus seeking to be His disciple but he had one request- “let me first bury my father,” seems reasonable right?
This is a Hebrew idiom, there is a second meaning to what seems to be plain. What this Hebrew idiom implies is I want to wait till my father passes so I can receive my inheritance, then I will follow you. Interesting enough, Jesus did invite this man to follow him. Very few did he say that to after the disciples had been selected, but he was one of the few. “Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” In other words the Kingdom calls now, you come now and let those that love this world and seek its riches (as oppose to the Kingdom’s riches) bury their own dead. They are spiritually dead already, so let them bury their deceased. And just maybe those that bury the deceased will come to their senses and stop living for this world. When we really consider Christ’s words He was not being insensitive to this man at all, he was trying to wake him up to a much more important reality, one that he was completely missing. In being so concerned about his temporal inheritance he was putting off an eternal inheritance that was much richer than anything he could comprehend. Sadly, we do the same.
“If any man puts his hand to the plow to follow me, but looks back is not worthy of me.”
This verse cements the Lord’s view of who He seeks to be his disciple. It saddens me to see how many “believers” seek to prosper in both realms and it can’t be done. All of life teaches that to excel in one disciple or skill, to be excellent at it, a single focus is needed. Christianity, the most important disciple there is, is no different. The pursuit of the riches of this world and faith do not mix. Constitutionally they are mutually exclusive. The pursuit for riches, or fame or power etc., makes me self focused. These things on a worldly level make me feel secure, look important, successful, yet Christianity- following Christ, is all about crucifying our carnal nature. It is completely the opposite. Romans 6:8-11 speaks to this, as well as much of Romans.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To reckon oneself is to consider it as good as done. It’s a mental ascent to a Biblical truth. It doesn’t matter if our emotions or feelings are telling us just the opposite, truth is truth. Acting on this is obviously a step of faith. This is where you speak to yourself affirming God’s Word. Therefore it is very important to know God’s Word, and not just generally but what it says about our specific situation or struggle. God’s Word needs to be used as a dagger, targeted right to the area of temptation or struggle.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart ( the word for sword here is not the large one but the one used for close in hand to hand battle).
Often as a believer you will think that you are schizophrenic, having two distinct personalities. The carnal man and the new man or woman as they fight for leadership in your life. The one who wins is the one you spend the most time with. If you are distant from God’s Word, the carnal man will win and you will lose. However if you exalt God’s Word, the new man or woman will begin to win, and it is a battle, but victory is coming. Some carnal habits are easily broken, others are tough because they deal with weaknesses/ insecurities from our childhood, or flawed character traits such as a hot temper. It is like trying to straighten a tree that has grown crooked, it takes time and a willingness to persevere. We must stay in the fight and be content with little victories at first and not get discouraged by setbacks, for they will happen. Learn from the setbacks, why they happened, but then press forward by declaring God’s Word not our feelings. Mastery over the flesh is gained much like a boxer wins his match. The one that consistently hits the hardest for the longest period is the winner. Christian character is as precious as gold to our Father and it is made pure through times like these. As Corinthians below says….,
2 Corinthians 5:17
**Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (it’s not about our feelings, it’s about what is true and then exalting that truth in our life).
“All things are becoming new,” is what the Latin translates to and it makes complete sense since sanctification is a process. However as soon as we have accepted Christ “old things have passed away,” though it can feel as though nothing has changed. Here’s an example that helped me to understand this truth. In the Hebrew culture a slave had to serve for 7 years his master. After 7 years he was free to go, or if he loved his master he could by his own volition become a permanent slave, or the term used is a bond slave. Paul addressed himself as a bond slave of the Lord Jesus. To understand this verse imagine two places of work divided only by a chain link fence. Both companies can not only hear each other but they can see each other. At the end of my 7th year, I leave the work of my cruel master and go to the other side for employment.
I know the owner there and he knows me and I am estatic to now be working for him. However my old boss is not, he wants me back and orders me as if I still belong to him. I hear him and my emotions react to his yelling as if to do his bidding, but I must remind myself I no longer belong or work for him. I’m free to say no, something that takes time to get use to. However the more I say no the easier it becomes as the concept of freedom grows inside of me. The more I emerge myself in the new work manual ( the Bible) the free- er I feel myself becoming. All my negative thinking, all my fears, all my anxieties etc., are all changing as I grow in the truth. I am now a free man, no longer a slave to my ill willed passions, insecurities and fears. My freedom is ever growing and it feels wonderful. Such is the relationship we now have in Christ. Now go back and re-read the verse with this new understanding.
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:
Doesn’t life feel like this? Everything comes at once, be it expenses, problems in the marriage, problems with the kids, work, and if that was not enough, health related problems. It feels like the waves of life are going to drown us. These moments are God moments. He doesn’t cause them, many times the cause is our own doing, but He can use them. Whether we have been obedient, which is many times better than not being obedient, or if we bring the Lord into our mess (through repentance and prayer) God takes over. He is willing to take what we give Him. However there are always consequences for going down the path of self will, but with God each knot in the rope gets worked out or grace is given to live with it.
However let’s listen to what Christ says to the disciples in this moment of absolute panic and fear, “ Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled”
It’s like excuse me Lord, no disrespect intended, but can’t you see the waves, they are way over the bow. We are in the middle of sea, it’s night, no one even knows we are in trouble and further more I can’t swim and you say why am I fearful? At this point there is no talking to me, I’m beyond -emotionally gone. Fortunately He knows my frame, that truly I am but dust, so instead of trying to reason with me, He just acts and does something I have never seen in my life or could have ever imagined. I now understand his statement, “why do you fear.” May God help us to not be small men and women, but to be men and women that bring honor to a God that knows no limits. He cannot be stopped, and whose essence is encapsulated in Holiness and Love. He is truly our Diamond, the Jewel of Exquisite Price.
Father,
Thank you for this study, continue to open my eyes to the God of the Bible. Those stories are there to build my faith, to help me to see You as You are. May they be more than just stories, but the recording of history of a Great and Powerful God that dwelt among us and now dwells within the hearts of men and women that respect and love Him. Amen and Amen
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur