Jesus First

 

 Mt 8:18-22

The Cost of Following Jesus

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Any death, in the family, among friends, expected or suddenly out of the blue, sends shock waves through our hearts and souls, and yet Jesus calls us to put him above our grieving, leave all behind and follow him. Jesus likes to use hyperbole to make his point but nevertheless, his point is clear: following him first is a priority and demands the relinquishment of even such fundamentals as grieving the loss of a parent. It's "ALL FOR JESUS" or nothing.To follow him demands setting aside even the basics. To do so requires a solid relationship with him, one that builds slowly, gradually day by day. Let's work on it today.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, you call me to follow you totally, something I can't do without your help. Help me. Amen.