The Gospel according to Matthew, the 8th chapter,
beginning at verse 18.
The 8th chapter of Matthew at verse 18.
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.
And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have
gone from the bags of the air of
Nazareth, but the Son of Man hath not
gone.
And another of his disciples said unto him,
Jesus said unto him that
our Lord ever tried to enlist disciples.
We don't have to tell.
And we might say that Jesus might quite
properly have concealed the cost of discipleship, even
though he would not necessarily deceive.
But it is also true that our Lord
did not conceal or suppress the cost of
discipleship.
And nothing shows that more clearly than that
word of Christ with which we are so
familiar.
If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross.
Now in these words that we find in
all the way in which that demand was
applied, they are the two cases of the
scribe who said, I will follow thee whithersoever
thou goest.
And of the other disciple who said, suffer
me to go home.
And now in reference first of all to
the scribe, it would be easy to, that
he was really playing an act of sincerity
of his resolve.
When he said, in fact there is everything
to indicate that there was determination
to follow out that which he had said.
That there was real sincere intent.
This man was a scribe.
And it was most unusual for a scribe
to offer to the Lord this.
And therefore this scribe had really been in
such a way indeed that he was resolved
to become his disciple.
His discipleship.
The reply of Jesus is all the more
remarkable.
Because we might think that when Jesus said,
that when the scribe said, I will follow
thee whithersoever thou goest.
The fact that this was so exceptional and
the appearance of our Lord instantaneous
acceptance.
We might even think that our Lord would
have given him warm congratulations.
Such for example as on another occasion he
gave to Peter, blessed for flesh and blood.
And we might have expected on this occasion
that Jesus would have said something to that
repellent in its effect.
Birds of the air do nest.
But the Son of Man hath not.
And it is the kind of reply that
would be cut.
Enthusiasm.
Which came from the resolve of this scribe.
Now it is admittedly difficult to discover the
real character of this scribe.
Or the real purpose of his resolution.
We cannot be absolute.
But of this we can be certain.
That there was something in the situation.
Or there was something perhaps in the character
of the scribe himself.
That demanded this reminder on the part of
our Lord.
Of that we can be certain because our
Lord never spoke aimlessly or purposelessly.
There was a real occasion.
For our Lord to say on that particular
occasion.
Foxes of old and birds of the air
do nest.
But the Son of Man hath not.
And the reminder is simply this.
That discipleship does not carry with it any
of the blandishments or any of the emoluments
or any of the comforts which should belong
to worthy prestige.
Discipleship carries with it, Lord, the reminder.
Indeed it carries with it the promise.
Of tribulation.
Of torture.
Of plagues of Christ's sake.
Of persecution at the hands of Christ's enemies.
And even sometimes the scribe
needed to be reminded of it.
That was why Jesus replied on this particular
occasion in these terms.
And we need to be reminded of it
also.
If we perchance are animated by an enthusiasm,
which is based upon a shadow of the
commitments involved in discipleship, then to that extent
our enthusiasm is flawed.
And it is flawed that we...
Not simply before the scourge of temptation, but
before the very...
And we need to be reminded.
We need in fact to be promised.
Not simply in Hades, but it promises the
reproach of Christ and reproach such as is
exemplified in this particular statement of our Lord.
Ox is a foal.
Birds at the head of men.
The Son of Man has not wings.
It is enough for the disciple to be
at his master, and the parent at his
Lord.
And if we are not willing to take
the cost of discipleship, if we are not
willing to be at the outskirting of all
things, for Christ's sake, then we are not
His disciples.
Christ cannot know of idols.
And it must be that wholehearted commitment to
Him.
We must be in captivity to His obedience.
If we are to be His, where His
testimony leads us, then we must go.
Where I am, there shall also mine serve.
Now the other disciple who is spoken of
in this particular text.
In the case of the scribe, we have
what we may call a
philosopher of the Lord.
It's a promise of instant and constant following.
Whereas in the case of the other disciple
who said, let me first go and tell
my father, you have a certain reserve.
And you might think that if Jesus needed
to caution the scribe because there was perhaps
too exuberant enthusiasm based on too shallow a
conception of what discipleship involved, and if in
the case of the scribe there was superficial
and too exuberant enthusiasm, then the error expressed
by the other disciple would be just the
very thing that Jesus would commend.
We might well say there is something commendable
about this man because he wants to be
sober, he wants to reflect, he wants a
little rest so that he can thoroughly raise
the demands of discipleship.
And a little reflection that asks for the
cooling off of superficial enthusiasm might be the
very thing that would be in order.
In contrast with a certain superficial and exuberant
enthusiasm exemplified in the case of the scribe.
But that is not Jesus' withdrawal.
We find in this case also that Jesus'
answer is just as severe as that which
he offered to the scribe.
And we might think it to be very
gross, very harsh, very unnatural.
Follow me!
And we are told in the current of
Catechism that the dead is very delicate or
go down and preach the kingdom of the
dead, but go down and preach the kingdom
of God.
Now in this case, just as in the
other case, we must not be too hasty
in our judgment of this particular man.
When he said let me first go and
then my father.
We do not have a warrant to suppose
that he was offering this as an excuse,
as an alibi, whereby he might get away
entirely from the claims of Jesus.
Some people, I suppose, would be ready to
place that interpretation upon this request on the
part of the other disciple.
But there's no good word for supposing that
he was hypocritical, that he was insincere.
And neither may we suppose that this disciple
wanted to go home and stay for a
long time with his father until finally his
father would die.
I suppose some would be ready to place
upon his request that interpretation, let me go
home and stay with my father until my
father is deceased and then I'll come back.
It might be illiard, and therefore he is
pleading that he might go home and look
after his father and then after that he
would be Jesus' disciple.
All which we are justified in telling from
the request of this disciple is this, that
he wanted only a brief interval in which
to perform the last rites of respect and
honour to his father, who probably had already
died or was on the very verge of
death.
A brief rest.
And that is all we may properly assume
that he desired simply a period, might only
be a matter of a few hours, it
might be only at the most a matter
of a few days, to do what under
normal circumstances would have been a perfectly natural
and beautiful act of filling of the bowl.
And under normal circumstances who would consider it
by any means an unreasonable request that a
person would be given a brief respite to
go and bury his father.
And it is just because we need not
suppose and must not suppose any hypocrisy or
insincerity on the part of this other disciple
that Jesus, if we try, is all about
coming following and let the dead bury their
own dead as it is in religion.
Let the dead bury their own dead.
When you might say that is harsh, that
is harsh, that is harshness, that is even
unnatural.
Why not grant that particular brief respite to
perform that act, that action of filial devotion?
And that is why it is all the
most likely when we consider that what Jesus
most probably meant when he said let the
dead bury their dead is that they are
physically dead, burying the physically dead.
People sometimes interpret this to mean let the
spiritually dead bury the physically dead.
And there is no warrant for that interpretation
in the text.
There is something far more abundant, there is
something far more finite in Jesus' reply.
If we interpret it as I believe it
should be interpreted, let the physically dead bury
the dead.
And you can see yourself that that is
an impossible, you never see a funeral of
dead person.
You always see a funeral of a dead
person carried by living.
Let the dead bury their dead.
And that just means let them go and
perish.
Implying that the dead would better go and
perish than that this man on that particular
occasion should go home and bury his father.
And you say how unfilial.
How to eliminate his Jesus' reply.
Let the dead bury their dead.
And it is just these considerations which point
out the severity of Jesus' reply to this
particular man.
And the more you have to find the
tension between the demands of what is apparently
filial devotion on the one hand and the
discipleship of Jesus on the other I say
the more you have to find that tension
between the apparent filial duty on the one
hand and the discipleship of Jesus on the
other the more you press upon us that
their death which was undoubtedly Jesus' intention on
this particular occasion even the script changes to
the declaiming of Christ all of us are
that's the lesson the claims of Christ are
paramount there is no other claim however powerful
however much supported by the apparent demands of
even natural filial devotion that can take the
place of the demands of Christ for the
Lordship of Christ is never suspended and it
is never displaced by the apparent demands which
come to us from other quarters or from
other sources there is no circumstance under which
any other apparent duty can take precedence to
the all that claims of Christ for Christ's
Lordship is never suspended and we may not
think that even so natural a duty as
the burial of the Father can take precedence
to the demands of discipleship now we must
not suppose that Jesus was here inculcating that
fidelity to Him we are of the duty
of filial devotion whatever kind of filial devotion
of family devotion it may be in another
case our Lord has praised the Jews particularly
the Pharisees for their tradition by which they
have made wise the fifth commandment He said
to them that they had made wise the
word of God by their own commandment for
what God has said is honor thy father
and thy mother but He said that if
these Pharisees said that it is called and
that is whatsoever is given it is given
to God and He suffered and will do
no more for His father or for His
mother thus making God the commandment of God
by their own tradition Jesus was not teaching
filial disaffection and He was not inculcating anything
contrary to the demands of natural filial affection
but there are occasions when the claims of
Christ require us to forego that warning of
what Christ appears to be duty to our
family and Jesus pointed out that demand so
clearly He that loves all mothers more than
Him is not worthy of it and that
is the great lesson that is inculcated in
this particular instance it might appear to have
been the duty of this particular disciple to
go home and bury his father but in
this particular situation it was not so and
I think we can we may well suppose
that this man's father was on the verge
of death but had actually died and the
time required for this particular duty wouldn't have
been perhaps more than a few hours or
at the most a few days that is
the most reasonable assumption that we can place
upon the situation as it is delineated for
us and why did Jesus forbid him?
I don't think it is very clear Jesus
was just about to pass over to the
other side of the lake we read in
this verse verse 18 Jesus saw great multitudes
about Him He gave commandments to depart unto
the other side unto the other side of
the lake and it is for that reason
that Jesus made this commandment upon this disciple
on this particular occasion now what for?
if this disciple had gone home to bury
his father he would have missed the boat
and he wouldn't have been with Jesus on
that particular voyage and what would he have
missed?
he would have missed two of the greatest
demonstrations of Jesus' power and grace and glory
when he stilled the wind and the sea
and when he healed the demoniacs on the
other side of the lake in the country
of the Galilee and we know from the
parable of Calvary that this disciple was not
only a disciple but that he was charged
by Jesus to go and preach the kingdom
of God for him that the dead buried
there must go out and preach the kingdom
of God and if the disciple had gone
on this particular occasion he would not have
witnessed these single demonstrations of Jesus' divine and
messianic power and glory and he would have
been deprived of that all important part of
his equipment that was necessary for him as
one don't you see there was an urgency
in this particular situation because Jesus was now
on a great mission to give that demonstration
of his almighty power and also of his
messianic authority in fulfillment of his order he
died by the kingdom of God at Calvary
then did the kingdom of God come nigh
unto you and Jesus was about to give
one single demonstration of his great messianic power
of authority in the country of these demons
and if this disciple had not gone this
way he would have missed the boat he
would have missed the boat indeed that's
the lesson of this particular of this particular
instance and in right manner with us it
is just that way that we are to
be wise from this incident it is the
holiness that we be sensitive to the demands
of Christ when we allow anything to interfere
with our instinct and constant obedience to him
then we miss the boat and we miss
the boat of opportunity we miss the boat
of privilege and we miss the boat of
blessing that's and I would bring home to
myself by the blessing of the Holy Spirit
that great lesson that the claims of Jesus
Christ are eternal they are never suspended they
may never be displaced and we must always
recognize the Lord at the cross when we
perform the duties of filial devotion it is
because we recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ
requires us to fulfill these duties of filial
devotion and when filial devotion or at least
apparent filial devotion interferes with our obedience to
Christ then we must remember that we can
never surrender the claims of Christ to come
for any other consideration Christ is God you
know people will sometimes say and it's a
very common argument by which to justify illicit
conduct that is unlawful conduct conduct perhaps that
is shady in respect of its truthfulness or
that is shady in respect of its honesty
or that is in blatant violation of the
commandments of God they will plead the necessity
of such conduct because it is the necessity
of their dimension our for example in connection
with this with the charitable service how I
met and you have met perhaps also with
the Irish well I don't like to work
I've done necessary labour on the Sabbath day
or the Lord's day but it is just
a necessity of my living and I cannot
allow my wife and my family to suffer
and consequently I have to work I don't
like it I know it's wrong but it's
just a necessity of my living and that
is justice that it is a necessity of
life or of confession God never under any
circumstances whatsoever makes it necessary for us to
give away His commandments He sometimes makes it
necessary for us to lose our lives to
lose our livelihood but what we call our
livelihood is sometimes necessary didn't Jesus say if
any man would come after me let him
deny himself putting up his cross and taking
up the cross is just the same thing
as saying being prepared to lay down our
lives our lives for Christ and that's a
great lesson that is portrayed on this particular
instance in the life of our Lord let
them live let them live but go now
and preach the kingdom of God now these
two sayings of Jesus or these two replies
in these two instances stand in very close
relationship to foxes and dogs and birds of
the air and nests but the Son of
Man has not gone on to lay His
head follow me let the dead bury their
dead but go now and preach the kingdom
of God and the great lesson is this
that we must have the cross of discipleship
it is with cross and foundation that Christ
promises to His disciples it was with cross
and foundation that was the cross of His
discipleship who by the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross despised in the
day and He sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty of God that was
the way that Jesus Himself went and although
He cannot emulate Him in His Messianic performance
or His Messianic undertaking we nevertheless must emulate
Him in following Him even to the very
shore of death even to all the tribulations
and the obstructions and the desires of this
world if that a person can obediently to
His Master now these things are not good
in themselves we ought not to seek we
ought not to seek tribulation for its own
sake that is nothing but self-righteousness let
us never seek tribulation for its own sake
there's nothing sanctifying in tribulation there's nothing sanctifying
in itself in suffering there's nothing in itself
sanctifying in poverty so let us not fall
into the great error that is so patient
in lay branches of the Christian Church of
the Prophetic Christian Church whereby certain tribulations and
certain tortures self-tortures and certain reproaches are
regarded as sanctifying in themselves they are not
but we must remember that it is tribulation
it is reproach only for Christ's sake not
for any person that resides in tribulation for
reproach for trouble, for suffering for poverty, for
sickness for even death there's nothing sanctifying in
death itself it is almighty for Christ's sake
that is the great lesson it is for
Christ's sake and it is just because it
is man's therefore as the demands inherently now
be placed require that we give to Him
at all times the pre-emptive and as
we are bound to Him we He we
we shall give immediately the demands of Christ's
honor and may I plead as I would
plead first of all with myself so would
I plead with you that you from the
youngest of you to the eldest will bear
in your mind the power of grace the
scholarship of Christ in every detail and substance
of Christ it was for that for that
reason that Christ died and rose again that
He might be Lord both of the dead
and of the living and it is the
reward that Christ promises to His disciples that
if they suffer for His sake they will
also be glorified together with Him it was
that joy that the joy of that Lord
that sustained our Lord Himself to ultimate standard
to ultimate criteria that we shall have in
Christ first of all to the approval of
our Lord Himself and count all things but
God for the excellency of His knowledge not
reckoning with those things that are behind us
but reaching forth unto those things which are
before us we press forth to the mountain
for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus Christ