In verses 1-17 of this chapter we see large crowds around Jesus. These large crowds were following him for a very good reason. Jesus was performing the miraculous. He had healed the sick, cast out demons and as verse 17 says, fulfilled prophecy. Who wouldn’t want to follow him, to see what he would do next? He had stirred up so much excitement and amazement. It reminds me of people who follow famous illusionist like David Blaine or Criss Angel. These guys perform illusions that in appearance seem completely impossible. I myself have watched You Tube videos of these guys and stood in amazement thinking, “No way! How in the world did they do that?” That amazement then caused me to look up more videos and spend unneeded time watching these illusions. Thousands of people go to watch illusionists perform and become their fans. The wonder of the unknown stirs up attention and draws a crowd.
In verses 18-22 we see Jesus draw a line in the sand so to speak. On one side of the line will be the people who want to see him perform. These people are very entertained and amazed at the works Jesus is performing, but when they are confronted with the cost of following Jesus, the cost of being a disciple of Christ, the excitement dies. Then on the other side of the line are people that want all that Jesus has for them. They see that the cost is worth it and they truly want to follow Jesus. Let’s read the passage and look a little deeper.
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.
19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man[a] has no place even to lay his head.”
21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.
There is some conjecture in verse 18. You might think, “Jesus had all these people around him, they were prime for the picking. Why did he want to cross the lake to get away from them?” Was Jesus being antisocial, was he tired of performing miracles, or was he just tired of the crowd? Well I don’t think he was necessarily being antisocial, but we do need to remember that Jesus is fully God and fully man. He might have just been tired and needed a break. It seems to me though that Jesus never did anything without a purpose. Even if he was tired, he was going to use this as a teaching point. This is where Jesus began to draw the line, the dividing line of being fan of Jesus or deciding to be a follower of Jesus.
Then in verse 19 the scribe or teacher of the religious law said to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied to this bold statement by saying, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” I can’t blame the scribe for thinking he really would follow Jesus wherever he went. It seemed like the right move at the time I am sure. He has just seen Jesus perform all these miracles and was amazed at this power. I am sure he was speaking with his emotions. From his perception the life of Jesus seemed glamorous. That is why Jesus brought clarity to the situation. It is important to note here the phrase, “Son of Man” that Jesus uses. This is done very strategically by Jesus. Remember, this man he is speaking with is a scribe, a teacher of religious law. As a scribe he has studied and knows the word. Jesus uses the phrase “Son of Man” to lay claim to his identity and draw the scripture Daniel 7:13-14 to the scribe’s memory. Daniel 7:13-14 says, “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”
In not so many words Jesus replies, “You want to follow me? Do you know who I am? Earthly possessions and comforts mean nothing to me. You might not even have a place to sleep at night. It is not a comfortable life on this earth. Is this temporary cost worth it to you? Is the struggle worth it to you?”
Then another disciple in verse 21 says, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Jesus replied, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” We need to make it clear here that Jesus wasn’t being cold or heartless. The man wasn’t referring to going to actually go physically bury his dead father. It was a way of saying that he would follow Jesus, but after his father died. It was truly an undetermined amount of time. In reality, the disciple was just making an excuse. Sound familiar? “Jesus I will follow you after I have kids.” “Jesus, I will follow you when I retire or after I make a lot of money.” “Jesus I will follow you…” Fill in the blank. What excuses have we made? Jesus is basically saying in his reply, “If you want to follow me, do it. This is the cost of following me, all other obligations are to be set aside and following me is to be priority.”
That answer finishes the dividing line we spoke of earlier. Following Jesus might cost you something. The cost might hurt. It might cost you relationships with friends or family even. The cost is not easy, but that is what separates a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. A fan thinks Jesus is really cool and great guy. They might even think he is a great moral example. A follower of Jesus takes it a little further. They realize that Jesus is God. Followers understand the cost is great, but that the reward is even greater. Followers cling to Jesus and allow him to see them through the peaks and the valleys. Followers of Jesus realize that the cost is their life.
The cost of following Jesus is hard. He never lied to us and said it would be easy. Jesus was always truthful about the cost. He was also truthful about the reward. The cost is great, but believe me the reward is even greater.
Johnny Templeton
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