Is it enough for a person to simply say they follow Jesus, or would you expect more from someone who claims to be his follower? Sometimes it’s hard for us to pay what it costs to follow Jesusdespite the fact that he paid the ultimate price for us on that cross where he suffered transgressions that corresponded to us.
Today’s passage is about the cost of following Jesus. Salvation is free but it is necessary to comply with certain things. As we share the gospel with people, we must inform them of the free gift of salvation and the high cost of following Christ. We need to talk to you about repentance and faith.
What it costs to follow Jesus
So what is the cost of following Jesus? Matthew shares three costs with us in this passage:
- The cost of following the commandments of Jesus.
- The cost of putting Christ first.
- The cost of fulfilling a commitment.
Below we explain each of them:
1. Follow the commandments of Jesus (18)
In Matthew 28: 18-20 we can notice that Jesus is the type of person who gives orders. The word translated “give orders” in this verse is a word that means “to declare with force and/or authority what others should do.”
Jesus has that kind of authority. And so part of what it costs to follow Jesus has to do with keeping his commandments. You must do what he tells you and go where he tells you to go.
A. Do what Jesus tells you to do
You must first do what Jesus tells you to do. That is practically what he defines you as his disciple. One of the last things that Jesus told his disciples was to go make more disciples (Matthew 28: 18-20). We call these verses the Great Commission. Jesus is telling us to go and make disciples. And how do you make disciples? Teaching them to obey everything Jesus commands.
Most of us don’t like someone else telling us what to do. But Jesus has the ultimate authority. He has the right to tell you what to do in your life and what not to do. Part of the cost of following Jesus is following his commandments, which means you must do his will without reproach.
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B. Go where Jesus tells you to go
Notice that the Great Commission begins with the word “Go!” The commandments of Jesus are not only moral, but also apply to the actions of your life: where you live, who you marry or date, what job you take. Jesus has the authority not only to tell you what to do but where to go.
That is exactly what he does here in our passage from matthew 8. The people are on one side of the lake and Jesus gives the order to cross to the other side of the lake. Why do you think Jesus gives such an order? Once again, Jesus is not simply looking for crowds. He looks for disciples who follow his commandments.
The crowds are there because of the miracles of Jesus. They are more interested in what you can do for them than what you require of them. They are ready to enroll without knowing any of the difficulties ahead. And then Jesus gives the order to cross to the other side.
Jesus is always doing that. He always calls us to the other side, to walk alongside him, to side with him and against the world. People talk about being on the right or wrong side of history, but what you really want is to be on the right side of Jesus.
whatwhich side are you on this morning? It all depends on how you respond to the commands of your Savior. You must do what he tells you to and go where he tells you to go. So that is the first factor related to what it costs to follow Jesus according to matthew 8: the cost of lovingly and obediently following his commandments.
2. Put Christ first (19-22)
The second cost is this: the cost of putting Christ first. Immediately after Jesus gives the order to cross to the other side of the lake, two would-be disciples approach Jesus expressing their desire to follow him. The first impulsively tells Jesus that he will follow him wherever he wants him to go.
The second wants to follow Jesus, but first he has to take care of some personal matters and he is hesitant, reluctant. However, both have something in common. Each of them has an obstacle that Jesus exposes in his dialogue with them.
Although on the surface they have two different problems, the two problems are really one and the same. Neither of them is willing to put Christ first.. And if you’re going to follow Jesus, you have to put Christ first.
Jesu s’ dialogue with the first would-be disciple teaches us to put Christ before personal comfort. And the conversation with the second man who aspires to be a disciple teaches us to put Christ before personal relationships. Let’s look at each of these now separately:
A. Put Christ before personal comfort (19-20)
There is much to like about this first would-be disciple. He was a teacher of the law, which means that he spent a lot of time studying the word of God and is highly respected in the community. He approaches Jesus respectfully, calling him “Master.” He enthusiastically approaches Jesus, promising, “I will follow you wherever you go.” There is much to like and admire in this type.
But Jesus is more than just a fellow teacher. Jesus has absolute authority as evidenced by his miracles. He has the authority to tell us what to do and where to go, so we must count the cost of following him. And that was the mistake of this disciple.
He committed himself without first considering what it costs to follow Jesus. He is similar to Peter, who told Jesus, “Even if others turn away, I won’t” (Luke 22:33) Peter was overconfident, and so was this teacher of the law. Notice that this man does not wait for Jesus to call him, but he volunteers. In fact, he seems quite pleased with himself for signing up.
The key phrase in this man’s offer to Jesus is “wherever.” “I will follow you wherever you go.” Instead of applauding this man’s desire to follow him wherever he wants, Jesus steps back a bit and discourages him. He gives her a dose of reality about what it means to follow jesus wherever I go. Because finally Jesus goes to the cross. Is this man really willing to follow Jesus there?
Now, Jesus doesn’t even bring the cross here. He simply points out his general homelessness, his wanderings, and his lack of personal comforts. Because let’s be honest. If he isn’t willing to put Christ before his personal comforts, he probably isn’t ready to follow him to the cross.
The teacher of the law saw the miracles of Jesus and thought: “This sounds exciting! I will follow this man wherever he wants him to go.” But Following Jesus has a cost. There was no room for Jesus in the inn when he was a child, and he had no home when he was an adult. Now, that doesn’t mean that Jesus never had a home to stay in, but he didn’t have permanent lodging here. He often he was on the move.
Why would Jesus discourage this man like this?
Once again, Jesus is not looking for a crowd to follow him. He is looking for disciples who will follow his commandments and ultimately follow him to the cross. Jesus is King, not a celebrity. Note in his response to the teacher of the law that Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man.”
This was Jesus’ favorite way of referring to himself in the gospels. It is the first time that this phrase can be seen in the New Testament. It is a phrase that on the surface can simply describe a human being, which Jesus certainly was. Our king was human at the time, and that’s part of what he meant by this title. But the Son of Man was also a divine figure in the Old Testament (Daniel 7).
Remember that we are studying a portion of Scripture that emphasizes the authority of Jesus to bring about the kingdom, and here in Daniel 7 the Son of Man is a divine figure who receives all authority, glory, and sovereign power, who is worshiped by the nations, and whose kingdom will never be destroyed.
And then Jesus uses the phrase “son of man” to emphasize his humanity and at the same time reveal his deity. And he does so without directly saying that he is God, as he would have if he had constantly referred to himself as the Son of God instead of the Son of Man.
Jesus is fully human, but he is also fully God.. He left his heavenly home and came to earth where he no longer had a home. Even animals have a place to call home, but the Son of Man has no home and nowhere to lay his head. The teacher of the law said that he would follow Jesus anywhere. Jesus first told him to count the cost.
Sometimes it seems that we want all the rewards of Christian discipleship without making any of the sacrifices. But it doesn’t work that way. In fact, it doesn’t work that way in any area of life. Whether it’s music, athletics, education, or business, there is always a cost. There are always sacrifices to be made. And it is the same when following Jesus.
Jesus’ response responds well to the man’s motives. It is almost as if Jesus were asking him: “Why do you want to follow me? Are they miracles? The cures? Do you expect a quiet and comfortable life?” If you are going to follow Jesus, you must put Christ first, which means putting Christ before personal comfort. Jesus put you before his comfort. Will you put it before yours?
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B. Put Christ before personal relationships (21-22)
You must put Christ before personal relationships. We see this in Jesus’ dialogue with the second would-be disciple in the aforementioned verses. This would-be disciple is different from the first in several respects. First, unlike the teacher of the law, this man is called a disciple.
That does not mean that he was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.. The word disciple was used in various ways for different people who followed Jesus. But it shows that this man at least showed an initial commitment to follow Christ.
There are other differences. Unlike the teacher of the law, this man addresses Jesus more as Lord than as teacher. Furthermore, he seems to be willing to leave home and family for Jesus. But, and here’s the rub, he was willing to do this not now but later. If the first man was too fast to follow Jesus, this man was too slow!
This man’s problem is highlighted by the word “first.” “Sir, first let me go and bury my father” (Matthew 8:21). This man was putting his father’s burial before Jesus in his life. He was putting personal relationships first.
However, at first this seems like a reasonable request. There was no more important duty for a Jew in Biblical times than to bury his father. This would have included funeral arrangements, actual burial, and then additional time to mourn and settle the father’s affairs.
Taking care of these matters took precedence over the recitation of their daily prayers and other important religious duties. Even a priest was allowed to become ceremonially unclean in order to bury his…