DEMANDS FOR DISCIPLESHIP
Matthew 8:18-27
For the past two Sundays we’ve been examining different individuals that came to Christ primarily to make petitions. As a result, we’ve learned some essential truths about the nature of God, Jesus, and the gospel that directly results how we live. I say this because how we live is due to the direct result of what God says about himself, his Son, and the gospel. That is to say how we live is not the result of what we think about God or how we feel about God, but what God says in his word through the work of the Holy Spirit. This is because we often have wrong views of God, his Son, the gospel, and even about us. So what we need to do is to examine properly what God says and what he means by what it says so that we can live right. In other words, right-living is a result of right-understanding. That is why we as Sovereign Grace Bible Church put such a high priority on learning what the Bible rightly teaches so that we may live right.
This evening I would like for us to pick up from this ongoing narrative that immediately follows the Sermon on the Mount. From our text I want to draw-out three aspects of Christian discipleship so that you may have a proper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus Christ for the glory of God.
I. You must count the cost when you follow Christ.
What Jesus says in verse 20 means that even animals have their homes while he himself does not have his own earthly home. Perhaps we can look at this in a couple of ways. One, the very nature of his ministry hindered him to have his permanent residency, namely his itinerary ministry. We read that he was constantly on the move from one town to next preaching, teaching, and healing. Frankly he is identified more as an itinerary preacher and evangelist than a pastor who permanently stays at one location for a long period of time. Secondly, the fact that he didn’t have his own place is to remind his followers about the brevity of life in this world. Just as he preached in the Sermon on Mount, he wants his followers to be more concerned about laying treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal (6:20).
However, this is not to say that we cannot own a house as some extremists teach. But we do need to keep in mind about the brevity of life and to be more concerned about laying heavenly treasures than earthly as if we can guarantee the length of time here. Hence, what Jesus meant “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” refers to him without a permanent home.
Furthermore, the phrase “nowhere to lay His head” represents a minimal sacrifice. That means in the scale of least to greatest sacrifice in fulfilling the will of God, being homeless or not having a permanent place is the least or very minimal sacrifice compared to literally giving up one’s life for the cause of Christ.
My challenge to you this evening is not be cowards for Christ by seeking the greatest minimal, but willing to give-up your very life for the cause of Christ! Don’t try to look for the easiest way or the most comfortable way of serving Christ. Don’t you realize that the glorious gospel and our magnificent master deserve the most and best from us? If so, then why would you want to waste your life to have the most minimal impact for Christ? I want to hear from our master one day that I’ve been faithful to the greatest cause, namely making God look the best, making his name famous, and proclaiming his gospel to all peoples. So don’t be cowards for Christ by looking to give your minimal. Oswald Chambers said, “When the heart sees what God wants, the body must be willing to spend and be spent for that cause alone.”[1]
Please note who came to Christ and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Verse 19 states it was a scribe, an expert in the Jewish law. As a scholar of the OT this was a prominent, prestigious, and even prosperous profession.
However, the fact that the scribe disappears from the text after hearing what Jesus says likely indicates that such minimal sacrifice was too much for him. Perhaps he heard about Jesus talking about the kingdom and even implication that he was the king sounded very alluring to this scribe who loved power, position, and preeminence. The idea that following such Jesus may have potential personal benefits made him to declare such confidence that he’ll go wherever Jesus goes. Such an eager-beaver like him only proves the old proverb, namely soon ripe, soon rotten. That’s why I’m always cautious about eager-beavers like this scribe who eagerly professes his loyalty, but when the pressure of what is demanded to follow Christ becomes high, eager-beavers generally just fall off from the scene. I’ve witnessed many people like this in churches. John MacArthur writes:
Jesus knew human nature is fickle, unstable, and self-centered, and that many people are attracted to Him by excitement, glamour, or the hope of personal benefit, such as being healed or fed. They are quick to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well, but as soon as the cause becomes unpopular or demands sacrifice they want to jump off. At first they look as if they are alive for Christ and often give glowing testimonies, but when their association with Him begins to cost more than they bargained for they lose interest and are never seen again in the church or in Christian work.[2]
As I pointed out in previous messages, failure to mention the biblical reality of suffering for Christ is to sugarcoat and compromise the true message of the gospel. Again to quote John MacArthur, “Sugarcoating the message of the gospel, trying to make it appear to be less demanding than it is – or even not demanding at all – not only compromises God’s Word and does disservice to the Lord but also does disservice to those to whom we witness.”[3]
As I mentioned before, our view of so-called suffering for Christ here in America is a Disney-ride compared to what Jesus said and what many of our brothers and sisters go through almost daily in many parts of the world. What did Jesus say? Let me draw your attention to Matthew 10:21-22, 24-25, 25-28, 32-33, 34-36, and 37-39.
D.A. Carson writes, “The authentic Jesus makes demands that are often personal and costly.”[4] Moreover, John MacArthur writes, “The Christian life is not adding Jesus to one’s own way of life but renouncing that personal way of life for His and being willing to pay whatever cost that may require.”[5]
Let me have you turn to two more biblical references. Would you please turn to Luke’s Gospel, chapter 9? I’d like to draw your attention to verse 23 and verse 62.
Let’s now move to verse 21 with another person who is about to be confronted with Christ’s demand for discipleship. Before I point out the second aspect of following Christ, I would like for you to discern as you hear what this man says to Jesus in verse 21.
I want to point out that there is something wrong about this man’s statement. Can you find it? It is an oxymoron statement. It is an inconsistent statement. It is a contradictory statement because you cannot say to Jesus, “Lord, me first.” Either Jesus is the lord of your life, which means he takes the first priority in everything, or don’t call him lord when you’re the first in your self-preoccupied life. Hence it is an erroneous confession to say “Lord me first,” and it is hypocrisy to live like that. Frankly, it brings a great insult to Christ.
Hence here’s our second aspect of following Christ: you cannot say “me first” when you understand the lordship of Christ.
II. You can’t say “me first” when you understand the lordship of Christ.
The expression “To go and bury my father” (v. 21) does not mean this man’s father was already dead. Rather, it means “Let me wait until my father dies so to collect my inheritance.” The expression is more of an excuse not to follow Christ than anything else.
I hear similar excuses from many people today as well. They give more reasons and excuses why they cannot follow Christ and serve him than why they should. They say, “Let me wait until I have a decent job and have enough money.” Let me wait until I get marry. Let me wait until I finish school and have my career. Let me wait until (fill in the blank).
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying those things are unimportant. After high school, I’ve invested almost 12 years in college and grad school, so I understand the value of education. And I also understand the importance of having a good paying job to support the family. But those things must not take the priority or preeminence in our lives.
Some people come up with excuses why they cannot follow and serve Christ or be committed to a local church. They keep putting it off, putting it off, and then bam it happens! All of sudden, they now have a divine appointment with their maker. If this would happen to you, what would you say to the Lord Jesus Christ then?
Our life here on earth is very short, hence we need to take Ephesians 2:10 very seriously and maximize our life for the cause of Christ. We only have one shot to do it right on this life and also on this very day because tomorrow may never come. So make your life count for the cause of Christ on this day and on this life. And please keep in mind that it is inconsistent to say “Lord, me first” when you understand the lordship of Christ. Hence what Jesus demands from his disciples is simply this: “Follow me.”
Let me clarify something here. When Jesus said “Allow the dead to bury their own dead” this does not mean don’t show any concern for our parents since that would be inconsistent with rest of the Scripture. But what this means is, according to D.A. Carson, “That if concern for parents becomes an excuse for not following Jesus, or for delay in following Jesus, then concern for parents, as important as it is, is being too highly valued [or more valued than following Christ]… These verses teach us that the authentic Jesus makes demands that are often personal and costly.”[6] I pray that you and I would have the sacrificial spirit of David in 1 Chronicles 21:24 in which he said he would not sacrifice to the Lord that costs him nothing.
III. Be more afraid of Jesus than your cost of following Christ (vv. 23-27).
Do you know what’s amazing about this particular story? Please don’t miss this: notice that the storm came after they followed Jesus into the boat. Please mark this in your mind: almost always storms will come when you count the cost to follow Jesus. In fact when you follow Christ, be prepared to face many storms in life. Here in this narrative it says “a great storm” (v. 24).
But here’s a good-news. As the text clearly indicates that in midst of this storm the Lord Jesus is in the boat with his disciples! He did not abandon the boat or his disciples! To borrow the words of Apostle Paul, nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.
- NAU Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
- NAU Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now this wasn’t a small storm, but according to the text, a big storm. I wish I could have been there to see what was happening because the Scripture mentions in verse 24 that there were waves! I would have loved to have been there to check out how big those waves were! The text says those waves were big enough to cover the boat. That’s like saying “Surf’s up!” I’m sure those waves were not surfable since it was very choppy due to the big storm. The phrase “a great storm” in verse 24 in Greek is seismos megas, literally a big seismic activity in the ocean.
But check out what Jesus is doing! The Scripture says that he was sleeping! And I don’t blame him. This simply shows Christ’s human-side. No doubt by this time Jesus is physically exhausted from his work. He just gave the magnum opus sermon called the Sermon on the Mount. And when he came down from the mount Jesus healed the leper, and then the centurion’s servant, and then Peter’s mother-in-law, and so on. So no doubt Jesus is physically exhausted by this time. But what’s amazing is how can anyone sleep in the boat during a storm like this?
And no doubt that the twelve were also tired because they have been following Jesus all day. But what is interesting is that though these men were physically tired, they were too afraid to sleep! And I think we can all relate to these men. We all have been in a situation when fear and worries so gripped us that we couldn’t sleep. I too know how that feels! The stresses from fear and worries so gripped my mind that there have been occasions when I just tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep.
The picture that Matthew is portraying of these men isn’t that these men tried to sleep during the storm. No. Far from it. You try to put a dozen men or more in a tight space and then give them one toy and then see what happens when that toy breaks! That toy would be touched by 12 men or more trying to fix the problem. Hence a natural reading of the text implies that these men more likely have tried everything to navigate the boat through the storm. After all, some of the disciples were fishermen, who no doubt were experienced in navigating the boat through a storm. And although some were experienced fishermen, they were no match to this storm that God had sovereignly ordained.
And I would like for us to see something here. Like these experienced fishermen in the boat, the problem with many of us is that we think that we can live by trusting and relying on our experiences, our educations, and our way of thinking. And even when God puts us through a storm, we still rely on our way of thinking even when the water is covering us! That’s how prideful we are!
So in verse 25, the text reads that his disciples came to Jesus.[7] I’m so glad that they did come to Jesus for help. They didn’t turn to the Baywatch, but they sought the Lord for help. It shows that at least they knew Jesus could help them. This is a great lesson for all of us. In midst of a storm, we must seek Jesus! We must come to Jesus.
But we don’t find that Jesus was all happy that they came to him for help. Rather, he confronts them. Why did Jesus do that? Jesus states his reason in verse 26, namely they were afraid; they were men of little faith.
Here I’d like to point out that there is undeniable connection between being afraid and having little faith. One is a symptom while other is the cause. One is a fruit while other is the root. If you’re wondering, being afraid is a symptom and a fruit, while having little faith is the cause and root of the problem. When Jesus entered the boat, guess who just walked in? May I remind you: it was the God of the universe! And when you know that the God of this universe, the Creator of all creations, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the God of grace and mercy is with you in the boat, you shouldn’t be afraid. In Psalm 23, David said, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quite waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me” (vv. 1-4). In Hebrews 13:5, God promises you and me that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
Whatever the storm that you may face or go through, don’t be afraid because the Lord is with you. Just like this story, the Lord is with you in the boat. Hence don’t be afraid. However, if Jesus is not in the boat with you, then you have much to be afraid of! In fact, there’s nothing scarier than living your life without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!
Before we criticize or look down on the disciples for having little faith, may I say to you that having little faith is better than having no faith at all? But having said that let me quickly say that we must not stop there with having little faith. We must not be content with having little faith. One question that all disciples probably wondered was: How come Jesus was not afraid? The answer: how can he be afraid? He’s the one who created winds and waves! The one who has all the power and authority over nature is in the boat!
And you know what? Although Jesus Christ is not with us physically, the Bible says that he has given the Holy Spirit to all followers of Jesus Christ and that this Spirit lives in us! Hence, don’t be afraid. We are not sufficient by ourselves, but the Bible says we are complete in Him. Thus you have the potential not to have little faith, but great faith. Why? Because we serve the great God!
Now, I love this part at the end of verse 26: “Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.” According to Mark 4:39, Jesus said to the sea, “Hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” This just shows the mighty power of Jesus over nature. So far from our previous messages we’ve witnessed how Jesus had the power over leprosy. We also watched how Jesus had the power over diseases and demons. Now we see that Jesus also has the power over nature.
Do you know how powerful nature is? Do you know how destructive nature can be? Do you remember all the rain due to El Nino and how it caused many parts of South America to be under water? Recently we also witnessed what Katrina did to parts of southern states. And even more recently (in fact just a few days ago) we’ve witnessed several tornadoes near us. As much as nature is powerful and dangerous, we all need to keep in mind that Jesus is more powerful and dangerous if you mess with him. In fact, the Bible teaches that Jesus has the sovereign control over the powerful nature.
- NAU Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
That is why verse 27 notes that the eyewitnesses were amazed and said, “What kind of a man is this?” That is an excellent question that deserves a full attention. What kind of a man is Jesus Christ? From this side of the cross, we’re able to say Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, our Lord and Savior; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty presently; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. So what kind of a man is this? He was no ordinary man. He was the God-man.
In verse 27 the eyewitnesses also confessed that even the winds and the sea obey him. Think about this implication. If nature obeys Christ, how much more we ought to obey him! He didn’t die for nature, but he died for you and me. In fact, he loves you more than nature. All that is to say be more afraid of Jesus than powerful storms. Be more afraid of Jesus than thunders. Be more afraid of Jesus than tornadoes. Be more afraid of Jesus than earthquakes.
[1] Quoted in David McCasland, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2001), 18.
[4] D.A. Carson, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World (Toronto: Global Christian Publishers, 2001), 181.
[7] Who are these followers of Jesus in the boat? Commentators differ on who the “disciples” are in this narrative. Carson argues for general and broad meaning, not necessarily referring to “the Twelve” [D.A. Carson, “Matthew” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 12 volumes, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 8:214-15]. However, Morris argues for “the Twelve” because of the possessive usage of “his” [Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 204].
