Matthew 8:18-9:8 – The Father’s Will, Part 2

Matthew began his record of the first cycle of miracles with the comment, “great crowds followed him.” Crowds followed him if you recall because they had heard his message and seen his miracles. Matthew also begins his record of the second cycle of miracles with a comment about following Jesus, but his second comments are expanded and offer insight into the cost of following Jesus. Matthew writes,

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:18-20

First of all, we should notice that Jesus is on the move; he is heading across the Sea of Galilee, a trip not everyone was willing or able to take. These people — fishermen, shepherds, farmers, market workers, scribes, tax collectors — could not just put their lives on hold and take off on an excursion; they had concerns and responsibilities. And so, before anyone boarded a boat to follow Jesus, a couple of followers came to him.

The scribe could have just as easily stepped into the boat without saying anything. Instead, he went to Jesus and said, “I will follow you,” then added what amounts to a qualification by saying, “wherever you go.” This may not seem like much of anything to us, but Jesus knew what was hidden behind this scribe’s claim. Jesus wanted the scribe to know he didn’t have a hotel reservation; following Jesus always has a purpose even though it doesn’t always have a clear-cut destination. Following Jesus meant they might sleep in a field one night and in a house, in the town square, or on the side of a mountain the next. Following Jesus didn’t come with an apartment or house number to which they could forward their mail. But this doesn’t mean following Jesus relegates us to becoming transients living in a van down by the river.

A few years ago I was in California and I checked into a hotel for a few nights. After I settled, down I began noticing, of all things, the hotel art on the walls. The first thought that went through my mind was that I wished there were better-looking pictures on the wall. And then my mind went a little off-track. I thought about the absurdity of someone moving into a hotel room and remodeling it to fit their preferences. I played out that scenario for a bit and thought about the morning of the check-out. Would I be happy I had spent so much time, money, and effort to redecorate a hotel room for my short stay, or would I look back on it with regret?

I don’t think there is anything morally wrong with getting a hotel room while on vacation, but redecorating it might cross that moral line; I have a house of a more permanent nature elsewhere for which my time, money, and effort should be spent. That more permanent home should be my priority, not that temporary hotel room.

This scribe wanted the certainty that came with a more permanent residence. He was unwilling to head out without knowing where they were going. For us, I must admit, this seems like a tricky issue. Most of us have families and responsibilities and having a home for them is the most reasonable and Biblical thing to do (I Tim. 5:8). But the point Jesus was making here is how we tend to hold onto that home and its sense of self-built comfort and protection a bit too tightly. When I was living out of a bag in that temporary hotel room, I knew I was free to just get up and go. There would be no loss and no regrets if and when I chose to move on. The point — and to some, I would imagine this might seem like a cop-out — the point is that we need to loosen our hold on our own means of security and our solid plans for the future. When God makes his call clear we need to just get in the boat without qualifying our allegiance and asking about our destination and our security. But, we must also remember that even though Jesus calls us to walk by faith, he doesn’t call us to be irresponsible. An important part of the disciple’s life is the time spent in prayer and the Word so we are suited to discern the difference between Jesus’s call and our own emotional turbidity.

21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:21-22

After Jesus responded to the scribe, a second follower spoke and he also qualified his willingness to follow Jesus; he needed to attend his father’s funeral. It’s easy to think Jesus was much too harsh when he told this person to “leave the dead to bury their own dead,” but it seems like this person wanted to hold up the boat while he went to a funeral. And even though this request would strand Jesus on the shore waiting for the funeral to end, if we look at Matthew’s Gospel as a whole, I think there is a more important reason why Jesus responded as he did.

Jesus didn’t focus on the family in the same way we do today. In fact, his view of “family” is not at all what we would expect. In Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus said that his followers must love him more than their father or mother. And, in Matthew 12:46-50, when told that his mother and brothers were waiting for him, Jesus claimed that his family consisted of those who did the Father’s will, not his genetic relatives. Family, for Jesus, was the collection of those people following God. By holding up Jesus’s trip across the sea for a funeral, this follower was showing what he thought to be more important. Jesus’s response was his way of saying to this man that he needed to choose between a new and living family and his old dead family.

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

Matthew 8:23

After dealing with these two qualifications, Jesus got into the boat. Jesus was not holding up his plans for any reservations his followers might have. We don’t know how many got into the boat with Jesus — given how Matthew’s Gospel is unfolding, we can’t say that these disciples were necessarily “the twelve,” the twelve aren’t named until Matthew 10 — but we do know these disciples weren’t worried about where they were going and weren’t held back by their old families. This seems like the start of a wonderful relationship. But Matthew wants us to know following Jesus isn’t always smooth sailing. He writes,

24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matthew 8:24-27

I always thought this miracle was a testament to Jesus’s authority over nature, but I’m not so sure that is the main point. Certainly, Jesus does have authority over nature, but the emphasis of this episode seems to be placed on what Jesus said to the disciples. While he does comment about their fear, it is their lack of faith that is the crux of the issue. Remember, these people heard his teaching, saw his miracles, walked away from family, and trusted that Jesus knew where he was going. It might seem that would be enough to provide them with sufficient confidence as long as Jesus was around, but evidently not.

They were real people in a real boat in a real storm who were really afraid while Jesus was really sleeping; this is true. But we don’t have to have been in a real storm-tossed boat to sympathize with those real disciples who showed a real lack of faith. Or, am I the only one who has expressed my willingness to follow Jesus but become afraid when the “storms of life” hit? I can even question God’s protection and his will when the smallest of life’s breezes blow. Yet for some reason, when I read this passage I still find myself judging those disciples who had enough faith to follow him but not enough faith to trust him during the storm; I forget about the log of my own lack of faith while I castigate them for the speck of their fear.

Even with their lack of faith, Jesus still calmed the storm. And, I don’t know about you, but I’ve often wondered what tone of voice he used. For a while, I thought he was angry, but now I suspect Jesus spoke to them as if they were children; not so much chiding them but trying to teach them they could really trust him regardless of the apparent danger. And then, when he rebuked the storms, I think his tone of voice told the wind and the sea that his followers were not quite ready for their wild powers; but someday they would be ready.

With the winds and seas calmed, the boat arrived safely on the other side where they encountered another power. Matthew writes,

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Matthew 8:28-34

It would be easy to argue that this miracle emphasizes Jesus’s authority over the demonic, but I’m not so sure that’s Matthew’s primary intent. Certainly, Jesus does have authority over the demonic world, but I think the most important part of this miracle is found in the last few words of the last sentence, “they begged him to leave their region.” Maybe they were upset about the financial loss, maybe they feared the power of a person like Jesus, or maybe there was something else, but when confronted with Jesus and his power, they didn’t want him around.

It is interesting to note that prior to this section of miracles, Herod was the only person who had rejected Jesus. But since starting this section, we have encountered a person unwilling to follow Jesus because of uncertainty, a person unwilling to follow Jesus because of social disruption, and an entire town who rejected him because of his powers. It seems Matthew, by placing these stories together, is telling us that not everyone is willing to submit to God’s will. Even though Jesus has shown his power over sickness, nature, demons, and pigs, some people still choose to walk away because of uncertainty, family concerns, and economic upheaval. But Matthew doesn’t leave it there; he saves the big reason for last. He writes,

Matthew 9:1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Matthew 9:1-4

I learned at a very young age — due in large part to flannel graphs and Sunday School — that the scribes and Pharisees were the bad guys in the New Testament. And so with that in mind, I never questioned why they would accuse Jesus of blasphemy. But as I’ve thought about this interaction a bit more, I think I understand the scribes’ point of view. They were authorities on the scriptures, in particular, the Laws of Moses. They knew sacrifices were required for sins, but they also knew God was the source of real forgiveness. So, when they heard Jesus claim to forgive the paralytic’s sins, they knew he wasn’t just forgiving sins; they knew he was claiming to have the power of God: he was claiming to be God. The scribes were concerned about someone breaking the supreme law of The Law: you shall have no other gods before me. But I don’t think it is their concern about blasphemy for which Jesus calls them out; it is that they didn’t believe he had the authority to forgive sins; they called him a man and didn’t believe he was God.

This is why Jesus responded by providing evidence as to his identity. Matthew writes,

5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home.

Matthew 9:5-7

This healing, while miraculous, isn’t the main point; the main point is what the miracle signifies. The visible miracle affirmed Jesus’s invisible authority over sin, and it proclaimed Jesus’s identity. Some reject Jesus because he affects their comfort, convenience, or due to the storms of life, but others reject him because of who he claims to be. It’s possible that this last of four miracles presents one of the primary modern reasons people turn away from Jesus; they want him to just be a good moral teacher or someone who brings comfort in times of pain, but the moment Jesus becomes God and has the power to forgive something called “sin,” they want no part of him.

These four miracles have been Matthew’s way of telling us that following Jesus is not without its costs…

Wait? Four? I only count three miracles.

You’re still there? Wow. You’ve been quiet this week.

Well, after last week…I mean, you were pretty harsh.

Uh…anyway. Yes, there are four miracles.

Go on…

A simple definition of a miracle is anything that goes contrary to the uninterrupted natural course of events. The first miracle was when Jesus calmed the storm, the second when he cast the demons out of pigs, the third when he forgave the paralytic’s sins, and the fourth when he healed the paralytic.

You’re counting forgiveness as a miracle?

Of course! God’s forgiveness is not the natural course of events. When we sin we are guilty; end of story. Our guilt remains with us forever, unless, of course, someone with the power to remove that guilt steps in and changes the course of natural events by forgiving our sins. In fact, forgiveness is the most miraculous of all Jesus’s works for it has eternal ramifications; the storm only stopped while they were on the sea; we still have storms today, just ask Edmund Fitzgerald.

Huh?

Nevermind. Anyway, Matthew doesn’t tell us how the paralytic responded to being healing other than to say he went home, nor does he tell us how the scribes responded. But Matthew does tell us about the crowds and their response as a way to make a final comment about Jesus’s authority. Matthew writes,

8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew 9:8

After seeing what Jesus had done — both the healing and his offering of forgiveness — they were afraid and they gave glory to God. But, before we get too excited about how wonderful it is that they glorified God for his having given Jesus authority, let’s look back. This cycle of miracles includes far too many people rejecting Jesus for us to forget about them. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that someone sees the works of God, even gives glory to God for what has been seen, but still rejects him.

I think we must consider the possibility that Matthew might be telling us that even though the will of God is powerful and majestic and people are healed and protected, acknowledging his authority and submitting to God’s will is the primary choice needing to be made. And, even though we might be called to uncertainty, be forced to decide between God and family, and endure many stormy moments, God’s will is always good. Following Jesus as the Son of God who has authority from the Father makes us become his hands and feet and voices doing God’s will in a lost and dying world.

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