Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

What Kind of Man Is This?

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

Jesus has shown Himself to be a teacher that stands head and shoulders above the rest. He has demonstrated His power over sickness and disease. In today’s reading, Matthew continues to show us just how far the authority of Jesus extends, and He’s going to raise a question that all of us need to answer.

He begins by inviting us to listen in on two conversations Jesus has with people voicing their desire to follow Him.

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:19–20 NIV

Jesus isn’t in the business of false advertising. He isn’t trying to market a relationship with Him as anything other than what it really is. So, when this teacher of the law comes to him, Jesus wants to make sure he understands what he’s asking for.

It’s impossible to follow Jesus and keep holding onto what’s comfortable and convenient.

If you don’t find yourself going places you’ve never been, doing things you’ve never done, or stepping into situations that challenge you, then you likely aren’t following Jesus very closely. Because He didn’t come to leave things as they are. He came to transform us from the inside out and flip the world upside down.

Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:21–22 NIV

Okay, hold up, is Jesus really telling this dude to skip out on his dad’s burial? That’s one way of understanding Jesus’ words here, but there are at least three other popular interpretations that have been offered over the centuries:

1. Some research suggests that it was a common Jewish practice to wait until one year after someone had passed away to bury their bones.
2. Others have interpreted this disciple’s request as a figure of speech—his father is actually alive and he’s simply asking for permission to wait until his dad dies to start following Jesus.
3. A third option is to read Jesus’ response as an instruction to let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.

No matter which of these interpretations you find most convincing, the point Jesus is making is still the same: Nothing is more important than following Him.

Taking care of your aging parents, getting into the school of your dreams, exceeding expectations at work, going to the gym on a regular basis, showing up to your best friends’ birthday party—all of these things are important. But none of them are more important than following Jesus. If this sounds extreme, that’s because it is.

Following Jesus isn’t an extra thing we try to fit in when it’s convenient. It’s not something that can be sprinkled on when we've got free time. Following Jesus is an all-of-life way of life.

What’s most interesting about these two interactions is that Matthew doesn’t tell us what they do next. We don’t actually know if they started following Jesus or not. Because the most important question isn’t what they did. The most important question is what will you do?

Will you commit yourself to Jesus? Will you keep following Him? Even when it costs you?

If you’re still unsure, keep reading because Matthew’s next two stories highlight the magnitude of Jesus’ rule.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23–27 NIV

A storm is raging. His disciples are panicking. And Jesus is sleeping. Completely calm and at rest. When He finally wakes up, He addresses the disciples and then turns to the wind and the waves. At His command, the howling wind is silenced and the crashing waves are settled.

What kind of man is this? Jesus is no ordinary man. He is more than just a good teacher. He is the Lord of all creation. And the very laws of nature are subject to the sound of His voice.

But, it’s not just the natural world that recognizes the Lordship of Jesus; as we’ll read in the next story, the supernatural world does too.

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Matthew 8:28–32 NIV

Before Jesus speaks a word, these two demon-possessed men recognize Him as the Son of God and come out to meet Him. They’re not ignorant. They know that Jesus holds all the cards and has all the power. So, before Jesus responds to their questions—because they know what’s about to happen—they start begging Him to send them into a herd of pigs.

Jesus says, “Go!”

When Jesus speaks, even the demons obey. What kind of man is this? He’s no ordinary man. He’s more than just a religious teacher who knows His Bible. His is “the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:9–10 NIV).

How will you respond to the commands of your King? Will you, like the forces of nature and the agents of darkness, recognize His authority and respond in obedience? Are you the kind of person who will follow Him into the unknown? Or will you hold on to what’s familiar?

Application: Take a few minutes to count the cost today. When you truly examine your life, are you holding on to what’s comfortable and familiar? Or are you willing to follow Jesus, wherever He leads? Is there a place He’s been calling you to go that you keep saying no to? Go today. Is there a person He’s asking you to befriend that you intentionally avoid? Reach out today. The Jesus way of life is an all-in way of life. Stop holding back parts of your heart. You can trust that Jesus, to whom the forces of nature and the forces of darkness bow in surrender, is more than able to hold you together.