"Your home Sir.."

A small scene, well played. A light but pointed remark as Lazarus hands Jesus His backpack and says, “Your home Sir…”

It made me think - earlier, they had already talked about how Jesus was constantly on the move, without a fixed place to stay with few luxuries and sometimes discomfort. Is that the life of a successful rabbi?

What did Jesus give up to bring us to His Father? And what does that mean for us today?

The text from Matthew indicates that when people want to become disciples and follow Jesus as their rabbi, they need to understand that the Son of Man didn’t even have a place to lay His head.

•Don’t follow Jesus for status.
•Don’t follow Jesus for personal gain.
•Don’t follow Jesus for wealth.
•Don’t follow Jesus for comfort.

The goal of Rabbi Jesus isn’t to arrange these things—like, “I don’t have ‘status’ now, but we’re working on it,” or “I don’t have a full wallet yet, but that’s coming.”

No. Jesus is after something very different. He seeks the restoration of the relationship between God and humanity. And for that, He gave everything. Ultimately, we know this leads to the giving of His life as a sacrifice. But even before that, we see Him making sacrifices—washing feet, having sleepless nights, caring for others, serving, sharing, listening, loving, and helping.

The life of the Master was a wandering existence, and it’s the same for His followers. Our home, our true home, is in heaven. There, we have a beautiful place waiting for us.

Does it help to realize that? I think so.

Maybe you live in a (beautiful) house, and have a good job and a full wallet. You can be happy and grateful for that. Butt as a disciple who knows that the best is yet to come, you don’t set your heart on those things. They are not your goal! That’s not what you live for. Your goal is Jesus—to become like Him, live like Him, share like Him, serve like Him, and love like Him. And you can do that with a beautiful house, a good job, and a full wallet—but also without.

When you follow Jesus, these things aren’t your aim; they become a means. A means in the hands of your Master, Jesus. After all, He’s the one who gave you these things.

It all started with a light and somewhat humorous comment about Jesus’ “home.” A comment that every disciple of Jesus should reflect on: Where is your home?

Take the following questions with you to reflect on:

• What do you think of the text from Matthew 8?
• What does this text say about your life?
• Is there something you’re holding onto that you might need to let go of and give to Jesus?

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I recognize and admit that I often become so easily attached to the things around me—my house, car, money, status, and so on. They so easily come between You and me. Help me, Lord, to keep You at the center of everything, and to see all that You give as tools for the Kingdom You have brought me into through the giving of Yourself. I am eternally grateful to You. Amen.”

P.S. This is the last day of this reading plan. We hope it has helped you as a follower of Jesus and that you have enjoyed it.

The materials in this reading plan come from Alongsiders, a European discipleship movement, and Jesus.net.

Of course, there is much more to discover! Do you want to take the next step? Do you have a heart for discipleship and do you want to know more about how to follow Jesus together with others? Visit our website.