{"id":1258,"date":"2024-11-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=1258&2024"},"modified":"2024-11-05T17:00:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T00:00:53","slug":"challenging-the-teacher-matthew-8-18-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/challenging-the-teacher-matthew-8-18-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenging the Teacher: Matthew 8:18-22"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 8:18-22 (GNT)<\/div>
\r\n

18\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus noticed the crowd around him, he ordered his disciples to go to the other side of the lake. 19\u00a0<\/sup>A teacher of the Law came to him. \u201cTeacher,\u201d he said, \u201cI am ready to go with you wherever you go.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

20\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered him, \u201cFoxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

21\u00a0<\/sup>Another man, who was a disciple, said, \u201cSir, first let me go back and bury my father.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

22\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cFollow me,\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cand let the dead bury their own dead.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 8:18-22<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Part way through Jesus\u2019 ministry, the gospel of Matthew includes a short passage that includes someone who felt ready to become one of Jesus\u2019 followers, and in this passage, he approaches Jesus to share this idea. In two short verses, we get a powerful picture of Jesus.<\/p>\r\n

Matthew tells us that \u201cA teacher of the Law came to him. \u2018Teacher,\u2019 he said, \u2018I am ready to go with you wherever you go.\u2019<\/strong>\u201d (v. 19)<\/p>\r\n

Before even looking at Jesus\u2019 answer, it is worth paying attention to the person making this request. Matthew\u2019s gospel tells us that the man making this statement was \u201ca teacher of the Law\u201d. This detail is significant because as we read all the gospels, it appears that Jesus reserved His harshest words and messages for the religious leaders, and included among the various groups of religious leaders where those who taught others the Law.<\/p>\r\n

However, while most of the religious leaders and teachers of the Law hated Jesus, this one, earlier in Jesus\u2019 ministry, had made up his mind to follow Jesus. Simply making the statement that he did was both powerful and profound when we consider that this religious leader declared publicly that he wanted to switch sides on a spiritual level.<\/p>\r\n

Then Jesus shared His response: \u201cFoxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 20)<\/p>\r\n

On one hand, Jesus\u2019 response doesn\u2019t really answer this leader\u2019s question. Does this response mean that Jesus accepted this teacher of the Law, or does it imply that this teacher then decided against being a disciple?<\/p>\r\n

None of the gospels tell us for certain, however, in Jesus\u2019 response, we can see a significant clue into this teacher\u2019s mind.<\/p>\r\n

By this point in Jesus\u2019 ministry, He was drawing a crowd and His fame was growing. It is likely that this teacher wanted to be a part of Jesus\u2019 group because it was popular and famous. Jesus could see the motives behind this man\u2019s request, and in His response, Jesus challenges this man even though Jesus doesn\u2019t reject him.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus\u2019 response emphasizes the negative angle of following Him, which in this case meant this man giving up his home and past. We don\u2019t see a conclusion to this teacher\u2019s story, and we don\u2019t know whether this teacher still chose to follow after Jesus directed him to the challenges of following, but in this event, we see a powerful truth for all of us:<\/p>\r\n

When we choose to follow Jesus, we are trading our past lives for future lives, and even though our new life with God has an \u201ceternal-life\u201d guarantee, we will still face challenges while living for Jesus in this age of life.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Part way through Jesus\u2019 ministry, the gospel of Matthew includes a short passage that includes someone who felt ready to become one of Jesus\u2019 followers, and in this passage, he approaches Jesus to share this idea. In two short verses, we get a powerful picture of Jesus. 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