Matthew 8
Then a teacher of the religious law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!" But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."
We don't know anything about who this teacher of the religious law was. We don't know his background, we don't know if he had just heard the Sermon on the Mount or if he had just seen Jesus perform the miracles of healing at Capernaum. What we do know is that he came out of the crowd and wanted to become a disciple of rabbi Jesus.
But Jesus doesn't welcome him with open arms. Instead, Jesus reads all the fine print at the end of the advertisement. He asks this guy if he is willing to pay the price for being a disciple. Following Jesus requires we count the cost. If Jesus was rejected, harassed, criticized and even killed, his followers should expect no better treatment.
In Matthew we see three types of followers: The Crowds The Casual The Committed.
The crowds love the big show. They love sitting and listening in their warm, comfortable pews. They follow Jesus because of the signs and wonders he can perform. They are excited about what Jesus can do for them.
The casual followers love being close to Jesus because he can rescue them from their problems. They want a change in circumstances without a change in their hearts. They want all the fringe benefits of Jesus without the personal sacrifice.
The committed followers simply love Jesus. Being with Jesus is the high point of the day. They love listening to him through reading the Bible. They love connecting with him through prayer. Worship is their top priority. They are willing to give everything up just to be with Jesus.
The simplest definition of a disciple is "a student," or "one who learns." But it really means much more than that. A disciple is someone who follows a rabbi. It is someone whose life is shaped by the teaching of the rabbi. As they do life with this rabbi, they become like him in every way, adopting his values, attitudes, actions, and principles. In short, a disciple is molded and shaped into the rabbi's image.
Jesus is still calling people out from among the crowds and the casual seekers to be his disciples.
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