The Gospel and the Kingdom - Matthew - Jesus' Mandate - Part 1

 

TEXT:  MATTHEW 8:18-22 - ¹⁸ And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ²¹ Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Continuing our study in the Book of Matthew we see that he is building his case that Jesus is the promised Messiah. In today’s passage, He describes the cost of true discipleship.

A lot of young men dream about becoming Navy Seals someday.

• ·      The Navy Seals are some of the most elite warriors on the face of the planet.
• ·      You know, there’s a reason why not everyone is a Navy Seal.
• ·      It takes a tremendous commitment to become a Navy Seal.
• ·      A young man can’t just hop up off of the couch after playing video games and eating Doritos, and get pinned with the Navy Seal pin.
• ·      He has to put in the sacrifice; he has to live by different standards.
• ·      It costs something to become a seal. 

Matthew is going to tell us about two short conversations that Jesus had with two men who wanted to follow Him. Jesus will tell them that it takes sacrifice and it will involve them living by different standards.  So, as He’s getting ready to leave to cross the Sea of Galilee, these two men speak up and say that they want to follow Him. 

Jesus responds to their requests. From these encounters, we’re going to learn two aspects of what it means to follow Jesus. Uncommon Sacrifice and Unusual Standards. We will consider the first of these today in verses 18-20.

As Jesus is preparing to leave, this scribe says he will follow Jesus wherever Jesus goes. A Scribe would have been a teacher of the law. He’s somebody that would have been knowledgeable and useful to Jesus and His ministry. The man had skill and he seemed eager. He would have been just the right disciple for Jesus to have by all our standards. 

Despite the man’s skill and eagerness, Jesus seemed to want to talk him out of following Him.  Jesus said foxes can sleep in dens, birds can sleep in nests, but I have no idea each night where I’m going go to lay my head. Now, why does this matter to the scribe? It matters to the scribe because if he follows Jesus he may not have any place to lay his head!

Jesus is basically saying, “If you follow me you will have to sacrifice something! Life may not be comfortable for you. You may not have all of the things that are common to everyone else. Following me requires uncommon sacrifice.”

Jesus wanted to make sure that the scribe understood what it meant to follow Him. He wanted him to know what he was getting into. 

I believe that Jesus also wants us to capture this truth. Listen, friends, it takes uncommon sacrifice to follow Jesus! We may not be able to have all the things of this world that everyone else has.  Living as a disciple of Jesus is not a life of luxury and comfort. 

However, here’s the beautiful reality: if you follow Jesus, you have Jesus!

• ·      Jesus is more valuable than any place where you may lay your head!
• ·      Jesus is more satisfying than the free cinnamon rolls at the Holiday Inn Express.
• ·      He has better hospitality than the Ritz Carlton.
• ·      He offers more comfort than the pillows at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City!
• ·      He is better than anything this world has to offer!

However, following Jesus does involve commitment. Jesus wants the scribe to consider the commitment to following Him. He wants him to count the cost. 

Have you counted the cost of following Jesus?

One of the challenges in the American church today is that so many people have been duped into thinking that following Jesus is no big deal, that it takes no commitment, and that it involves no sacrifice. Not so, says Matthew 8:19-20!

The scribe may have wanted to be part of the excitement of being with this great teacher and miraculous healer. He probably couldn’t wait to see what was next. However, Jesus is essentially asking, “Are you sure that you’re ready to follow me?”

Following Jesus requires uncommon sacrifice. 

He is asking us today – “Are you sure that you’re ready to follow me?”