Matthew 8:18-22

¹⁸ After Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he ordered his disciples to go over to the other side of the lake.

¹⁹ And one scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ but Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes to go to, and birds of the air have nests to go to, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

²¹ Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go home until it is time to bury my father.”

²² And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead go to bury their own dead.” _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom is going nowhere

The scribe was too eager to follow Jesus, because he thought Jesus and his disciples were going someplace special. No, they were just going to the other side of the lake, to minister to the needs of more regular people. Ministry never goes beyond that. Even if the Lord sends you to speak to kings, it is still going nowhere in particular. It is just following Jesus to another nowhere.

One of the larger group of the disciples (not the twelve) told Jesus that he would catch up to him after he took care of his family responsibilities. Apparently, his father was ill, and would soon die. But Jesus saw into the request. He saw that the man was prioritizing something else besides the kingdom. So, Jesus told him to follow him now instead of later. The dead he left behind would take care of their dead.

The kingdom business may not give you any clout, but it is important. Jesus calls us to commit to his kingdom, and go nowhere with him. Now is the time.

LORD, give us the wisdom to prioritize following you, in spite of where it takes us.