Matthew 8:18-22

(Matthew 8:18-22)

Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 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 8:18-22)

Two people appear. A young man pleads that he will follow the Lord everywhere and become a disciple of the Lord. He was a scribe. However, the Lord politely rejects him. 『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. '. On the other hand, another person, who was described as a disciple, had an emergency situation where his father died. So he asks for an urgent father's death funeral and time to come back and follow him.

But this time, Jesus said, "Let the dead be buried by their dead, and follow me." He does not allow the father's funeral, but commands him to continue to follow the Lord. What was the difference between the two?

First of all, the Lord is looking at their motive, "The heart of the heart. The first person is identified as a scribe. And he refused because of the reason for 『Where to Head』. Perhaps this scribe saw, heard, and knew the miracles and other works the Lord had done. But he made a calculation in mind. The scribe thought to follow this man and asked that he would follow the Lord, considering that there would surely be good things in the future. Considering that Jesus is refusing the reason for "the place to put his head", it seems to be possible. So he said he would follow the Lord for his own benefit, not for the Lord.

Jesus eventually told the young man that his way was different from that of the young man. The Lord did not want to instill people's dreams through amazing wonders and miracles. He is reaffirming that it was not the political Messiah the Jews were waiting for at the time. The Messiah the Jews want is a Messiah to fill their greed.

The second named disciple, even though he said that he would come after the dead father's funeral and pursue Jesus, did Jesus not allow him to do so and continue to follow the Lord? Anyone who decides to follow the Lord must think in all circumstances of the world whether or not it is suitable to achieve righteousness with His kingdom. The important thing here is not to ignore the human being unconditionally, but it is necessary to discern whether it is suitable for expanding the kingdom of God. The Lord's disciples must obey the Lord alone. We should devote ourselves only to achieving the kingdom and righteousness. The Lord must always be the first to us.

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