Read Matthew Chapter 8:18-22
I Said I Want To Follow Jesus, But Do I Mean It?
A certain scribe came to Jesus, and was quick to say, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But did he mean it? Did he truly understand what it meant to follow Jesus?
Jesus responds in a way to challenge the scribe as if to be saying do you really want to follow me? Jesus made it clear that he doesn’t have a place that he calls home, a place to lay his head. Serving the Lord isn’t just about “miracles.” It is also about suffering, being hungry, being cold, being persecuted, or struggling financially, etc. It means going outside your comfort zone. It means having to trust God daily for your needs.
The second man said to Jesus, I will follow you but let me first bury my father. Culturally speaking, a son had a responsibility to care for his father and bury him. Unlike the scribe, this man was too slow to make a commitment to follow Jesus. He was pushing for the “delay button” which means you say you will follow yet there’s always a BUT.
I want to follow you BUT I can’t right now because _____________. Fill in the Blank.
Jesus didn’t let the man off the hook and pressed him to still follow him. Jesus made it clear that following him has to be a number one priority, and it won’t be easy. It will require great sacrifices. But if we truly understood the reward, then the “sacrifice” would no longer be seen as a “sacrifice” but as a privilege or a joy.
Do you want to follow Jesus? Don’t be too quick to say yes and not mean it. Don’t be too slow to commit and miss an opportunity that will last for eternity.
