Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Psalms 15-17
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 8:20
Jesus: Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Jesus’ comments to the scribe who decided to follow Him might seem a little out of place at first. Here was a man steeped in religious tradition who was ready to give it up and follow Jesus. So why these words? Why would Jesus give the scribe a comment that would discourage him from following him? Why would He not want the scribe on His side and joining His party of followers?
Although it may seem Jesus discourages the scribe, I don’t think He did. I think Jesus just stated the facts as they were and wanted the scribe to understand the journey that lay ahead of him if he became a follower of Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ. He would immediately become an outsider to the temple. The religious leaders he stood with on this day would quickly turn against him and, like Jesus, he would have no comfort in this world.
No one would house Him. No one would give Him bread. No one would share their home. Except for what they could get from Him. Every time Jesus lighted in a home, His presence became known quickly and the house filled with the broken, the injured, the ill. All wanted Jesus to touch them. To speak to the demons that filled them and drive those demons away. To grant their prayers as He did in so many towns and villages across the territory. Jesus could not be alone in the cities and towns. He had no place to rest.
To go with Jesus meant work, tending to the needs of others above His own. It also meant finding time to commune with the Father. It meant learning from His ancient instructions and finding His will for life. It meant going to the outcast and helping them reintegrate into their community. It meant turning the rules inside out and upside down to show the meaning of love that the scripture talks about but the nation forgot in their attempts to single themselves out as God’s chosen.
Jesus laid out for the scribe the facts of life with Him. Giving up everything that the world says is dear. Houses, lands, material things. The titles and prestige that might seem important here. It all disappears when you follow Jesus. It means nothing to God and they become just so many meaningless words to Jesus’ followers. To follow Him means to give everything up and allow Him to direct the next steps you take whether it’s across the lake, to stay where you are, or move to another country where everyone finds you distasteful.
Later Jesus will use a story to describe the cost of following Him, but here, He just lays out the facts. Follow Me and you’ll give up everything. Does that mean Jesus expects you to live in poverty? Not necessarily. He just wants control of everything you have. It’s really not yours anyway. He only allows you to use it. Think about it. What would it take for all your possessions to disappear? One disaster and everything is gone.
Oh, but you have insurance, you say. And how long do you think that will last if your whole city or your state is hit by the same disaster? What happens if ISIS decided to strike our financial infrastructure instead of the physical acts of terror they have used so far? How long could you operate without your bank account? Just stop and think about it.
I have about $40 cash in my pocket at the moment. Like most Americans, I use online banking, and debit cards for almost every financial transaction in my life. So what would happen if my bank suddenly lost all of its electronic records and backups at once? What if my paychecks no longer went into my account on a regular basis? What if suddenly all those assets just disappeared? How long could I live out of my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer?
How long before someone decides to foreclose on my house, assuming they have a record. How will I buy groceries, or gas, or pay electric bills? How long will life go on as usual if a virus or deliberate attack crippled our financial system. See, we are only temporary stewards of all that stuff anyway. It all belongs to God so why do we worry about it? Why do we hold on so tight? Why can’t we understand what Jesus was saying when He made His comments to the scribe that day 2000 years ago.
Jesus want us to know the cost of following Him, but in reality, it’s no cost at all except the one thing He wants. Me and you. Everything else is just temporary stuff that we really can’t control very well anyway. We think we do, but it’s a façade. It’s one of those lies of Satan, the father of lies. When we follow Jesus, we must know the cost, Jesus says, “Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Are you ready to go with Him?
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.