Why did Jesus discourage some people from following him? (Matthew 8:20)
Context: The Cost of Following Jesus 18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:20
ESV - 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
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Asked November 04 2019
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
I would say that Jesus was not telling those potential followers that He didn't want them to follow Him, but He wanted them (as He said elsewhere, as in Luke 14:25-33) to "count the cost" and sacrifice on their part that would be involved in doing so, and to be aware that their service and commitment to Him would have to be the highest priority in their lives, even if it would mean the severing of their relationships with the people closest to them, as well as the possible sacrifice of their own temporal lives. To me, this was just honesty on His part. In other cases (such as with the rich young man who said that he wanted to follow Jesus, and whom the Bible specifically says that Jesus loved (Mark 10:21)), He wanted to show a potential follower where their true "love" lay (that is, the love of money), so that they would know what they would have to give up. (Unfortunately, in the young man's case, he was not willing to make that sacrifice.)
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Why did Jesus discourage some people from following him? (Matthew 8:20) In Matthew 8:20, Jesus tried to put off a scribe who wanted to follow him. He did this to stress how tough, challenging and yes, even stressful it is to be his disciple. Jesus pointed out that being his follower meant living without the comforts and safety of everyday life. He said he himself "has no place to lay his head," which means that a true follower must put God's Kingdom first, above their own stuff and worldly worries. I like how another translation, The Message, puts this: "Matthew 8:18-19: When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. As they left, a religion scholar asked if he could go along. 'I’ll go with you, wherever,' he said. "20 Jesus was curt: 'Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.'" "Jesus’ reply is simply this: Does the man understand the rejection he will be facing? Jesus has no home in the world (the Son of Man has no place to lay his head)." -- classic.net.bible.org
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