Matt 8:18-27 "Following the King" (Series: The Authority of the King)

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City. Welcome to 2021! May this be the year our Lord returns! Until then we are continuing in our walk with Him, with being a light in the world, and studying His word chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse.

In our studies we are in Matthew 8. We are looking at various examples of how Jesus demonstrated he had authoritative power (Gk. exousia). Last week we observed in Matt 8:1-17 that Jesus, the King, has authority to heal physically and to cast out demons.

Today, we will look at two more examples of the King’s authority (His authority over mankind and over nature), picking up in verses 18-27. Jesus’ authority is the overarching theme throughout Matt 8:1-11:1, but in verses 18-27, we can also observe the various disciples in these verses are all learning about following Jesus.

In Luke 14, Jesus spoke about discipleship…about following Him and gave examples of building a tower and a king going to war. To avoid failure and shame, Jesus highlighted the necessity of counting the cost first. In those examples Jesus made two very profound statements about following Him.

Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Following Jesus comes with a cost. Jesus never promised following Him would be a bed of roses…that life’s difficulties would vanish once we became saved. He said there is a cost. And, in today’s accounts we will observe examples of people who either followed Jesus in faith, or those who counted the cost and determined the price was too high.

And as a point of application, where will you find yourself today? As we go through these examples, pay attention to whom you best relate to.

Today’s teaching is titled, “Following the King,” and after the sermon we will partake in communion.

Let’s pray!

Matt 8:18-20 “And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came 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.”

When we last left off, Jesus was in Capernaum healing Peter’s mother-in-law along with many sick and demon-possessed people. Now in verse 18, Jesus commands his disciples to depart to the other side. At times, the multitudes acted carnally…thronging Jesus for His power. So, Jesus departs “to the other side” of the sea of Galilee.

Matthew is writing thematically, not chronologically, and while this is not a major point, if you are looking for an order of events, you would place these next conversations (verses 18-22) somewhere on a road as Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem after being in Samaria. The parallel account is Luke 9:57-62.

In Verse 19, we see our first example of a disciple who is learning about what it means to follow the King. I call this disciple the ‘over-committed scribe.’

Scribes were employed for their ability to read and write; thus you found them in a variety of influential and respected realms: religious, political, judicial, economic, and social. Luke often refers to them as ‘lawyers,’ as they were experts at teaching and interpreting the Mosaic law. They belonged to various religious sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and Levites.

This scribe approaches Jesus calling Him “Teacher” (Rabbi) in Matthew; “Lord” (Master) in Luke. Verbally, he is submitting to Jesus as a student (a disciple) and committing to follow Jesus anywhere. He seems excited and enthusiastic to follow Jesus (after all Jesus is performing miracles and His authority as a teacher is unparalleled), but the scribe did not accurately count the cost and he over-commits.

And we sense this in Jesus’ response (verse 20), “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Jesus does not forbid the scribe from following Him, but Jesus does give an accurate and honest portrayal of what it looks like to follow Him.

Following Jesus may result in a sacrifice of material comforts. I can relate to this. In 2012, God stirred my heart to walk away from a lucrative career selling insurance and go to Bible College. So, we moved from Maryland to California and sold or gave away all our stuff. And then we did it again a year later when the Lord called us to the Philippines for missions. Then again 2.5 years later when we returned to serve with our sending church. We moved place to place, renting homes- not having a place to call our own, so we could be flexible to God’s calling. Material things, money, and career have come second to following Jesus…and I wouldn’t trade it to have any of the material things back.

The hole to the fox, and the nest to the bird…these were natural habitats…their homes. Many people opened their homes to Jesus, but none were His...thus Jesus said the “Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

In His first coming, Jesus did not come to establish His kingdom (He will do that in His second coming). In His first coming, He came to save mankind and to bring them into the kingdom....not to establish a place to “lay His head.”

Darby said, “He began in a manger, and ended on the cross, and along the way had no where to lay His head.”

And, that is true, except He did find one place to lay His head…the cross. In John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” The words “lay His head” (in Matt 8:20) are the same Greek words as “bowing His head” (in John 19:30). The cross was the one place Jesus was able to lay His head, but not until He proclaimed, “It is finished!”

This scribe wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus was heading to the cross. True it was when Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Lk 9:23.

This is the cost of discipleship, a price many are not willing to pay.

The title “Son of Man” is a significant Messianic title for Jesus the Christ, and His favorite title for Himself. It is used 84x in the NT (81x in the Gospels), and has it’s roots in Dan 7:13-14 which gives us a beautiful picture of Jesus’ authority, glory, sovereignty, and dominion.

Dan 7:13-14 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, [God the Father] And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

45x, in the NT, Jesus is also referred to as the “Son of God,” and between these titles, they attest that Jesus is fully God and fully Man. He is the God-Man. They speak of His glory and His humility.

Well, back to this first example (in Matt 8), Jesus explains to the scribe that following Him will result in sacrificing material comforts. And, being that we have no record of a scribe that follows Jesus, it seems that this “over-committed scribe” could not live up to the sacrifice.

This is NOT the kind of follower of Jesus you want to be. This man is too quick to say “Yes” without true commitment. The next man is just the opposite…a man who is too quick to say, “No.”

In verse 21, we have our second example of following the King- the ‘Me-First Follower.’

Matt 8:21-22 “Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.””

This man is described as a “disciple.” The scribe who called Jesus “teacher” and “Lord” may also have been a disciple especially since verse 21 states, “Then another of His disciples...”

However, this second man is another like the first…another of the same kind…a disciple in a loose sense, luke-warm…the kind Jesus will spew out of His mouth since he is not fully committed.

Jesus commands him “Follow (imperative) Me.” But, he comes up with an excuse…he hesitates in committing to Jesus… “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

Many scholars explain that this man’s father is still alive and this disciple is simply making excuses that he wants to return home, live his life, be with his family, and bury his father at some time in the distant future. He wants to follow Jesus, just not yet.

Another (harsher) explanation (which I lean away from) suggests that this man’s father may indeed be on his death bead, or even dead, and Jesus is making an absolute statement that love and commitment to Jesus must be supreme…even over family.

Compare verse 22 to Matthew 10:37, where Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more that Me is not worthy of Me...”

Luke’s phrasing is even stronger, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Lk 14:26.

And, the idea is one cannot truly follow Jesus if they are always looking back on their old life. There is a cross to bear in putting to death the old man and following Jesus.

But, I lean away from the idea that the Dad has recently died because we are told in scripture to “Honor your father and mother” (Exo 20:12; Eph 6:2), and we observe Jesus tender to His disciples who are grieving loved ones.

Whichever explanation is accurate (if the father is healthy and has years of life left -or- if the father is near dead or already dead), either explanation is beside the point…the main point is this disciple contradicts himself. He says, “Lord, let me first...” And, this is the central issue with this disciple.

You cannot call Jesus “Lord” and then say “me first.” To put ‘me’ first is to deny Jesus as Lord. One must put everything in the world second to Jesus, or be guilty of idolatry. This disciple hesitates in following Jesus because he has a Lordship issue. The priority of family holds a deeper place in his heart than Jesus. ‘Lord, me first, you second...’

Jesus responds to this “Me-First Follower” (verse 22) by commanding him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

In Luke’s Gospel, (Luke 9:60), Jesus says “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God,” which is to say ‘let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead, because your duty is to follow the King and herald spiritual truth to all who are perishing.’

This disciple was commanded to follow and to preach, and I suspect he did neither.

The first disciple was too quick to promise, the second too slow to perform. Both had things in their lives that were hindrances to discipleship…things...even good things (material comforts, family) can become roadblocks to following Jesus.

If you are here today and you know Jesus has a rival in your heart…I encourage you pray the Lord would reveal whatever it is, and help you to tear down this high place. I’ve had to do this many times in my walk with Jesus.

Now, I suspect that most of us are going to best relate to this next group of disciples… the “True Disciples.” They follow Jesus, yet not without struggle. And, I appreciate this about Jesus’ true disciples…even they were in storms, and even they experienced fear and doubt.

Matt 8:23-27 “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””

This account is recorded in all three of the synoptic Gospels highlighting it’s significance (You can find the parallel accounts in Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25). It’s a testimony out of the mouth of 3 witnesses…it’s firmly established.

Here we observe true disciples of Jesus encountering a life-threatening storm. Important to note that they encounter as they are obedient in following Jesus. Jesus never promises smooth sailing as we follow Him. In the Beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you...” (Matt 5:11). Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

There are times you can be right in the center of God’s will and also in the center of a storm…and that’s what happened to these disciples.

There are various storms we experience in life. Some are ‘storms of correction’ and some are ‘storms of instruction’ (or perfection).

Jonah experienced a storm of correction. He was disobedient…running the opposite direction from God’s will. God brought a storm and a great fish to bring Jonah back on course. God didn’t drown him, but he did serve 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a whale…bleached white…a terrible experience. Jonah did not need to experience that storm if he would have been obedient to God’s authority.

I believe our Christian nation is presently in a storm of correction. Our nation, as a whole, has lost sight of Jesus, and God’s authority. We have sown the wind and we reap the whirlwind. People who love darkness are attacking the very Christian foundation this nation was built upon. Jesus is still on the throne, but we (as a nation), are indeed in a storm.

The other kind of storm is a ‘storm of instruction’; where God is perfecting us. This was the storm these disciples were in. They were in the boat with Jesus. The were following Jesus, but the storm came anyhow and it had purpose. It would bring them to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. And, sometimes God will bring storms in our life so we...

understand Him deeper,

trust Him deeper,

and break from relying on ourselves and cry out to Him. These storms are instructional.

You may personally be in a storm of instruction, a trial that God is using to conform you into the image of His Son. He is perfecting you…and as difficult as these storms are…when we trust God, we can come to a place like Job when he proclaimed, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21.

So here are the disciples on the Sea of Galilee and suddenly a great storm arises.

The Sea of Galilee is 8 miles wide (East to West) and 13 miles long (North to South), reaching depths of 157’, so it’s big, but it’s not really a sea, it’s a lake… actually called the ‘Lake of Gennesaret’ in Luke 5:1 (A.K.A.- Sea of Kinnereth, and the Sea of Tiberias).

Sudden storms on the Sea of Galilee are not uncommon due to the geography of the region. It sits at 695 feet below sea level (making it the lowest freshwater lake in the world).

Some of the cliffs along the eastern and southern shores reach heights of 1400’ and 2500’ respectively. About 150 miles north of the sea stands Mount Hermon at 9200’, with it’s snow covered peaks, and when cold air (from the North or the East) comes down, blowing cold air over the warm air covering the sea, the cold air drops (because heat rises), and the sudden change can produce violent storms.

And, was this just a freak storm? Or perhaps a supernatural storm? The great fear of the disciples coupled with Jesus rebuking the storm, may indicate this storm was a supernatural attack.

Satan is described as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2)…the air…this “first heaven,” our world. If authorized by God, Satan can stir up a lot of trouble here.

In Job 1, when Satan was permitted to test Job...in one of the calamities a ‘sudden great wind’ struck and collapsed a house...killing all 10 of Job’s children.

So, was this sudden storm on the sea an attempt to stop Jesus prematurely by Satan? Impossible to say, but an interesting thought.

Matthew describes this storm (verse 24) as a “great tempest;” Mark a “great windstorm.” Luke’s account states “they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.” Several of these disciples were professional fisherman, they had seen many storms on the Sea of Galilee...and if they were afraid, their fear was legitimate.

When in the midst of a storm…these professional fisherman, no doubt, did everything they knew how to weather the storm. And, we do the same thing, when a storm hits we transfer funds, we go to the Doctor, we call on friends and family, and these are all good things, but they have limits.

The disciples realize their methods were not working...this storm was beyond them, so they cried out to Jesus…

And, when you come to the place where you cry out to Jesus, you have come to a great place. Prayer is better than all of our natural methods. Yet, how often is prayer an afterthought when crises strike? Lord forgive us!

These disciples came to Jesus because they think they will not survive ( verse 25 “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”)…and this is a momentary lapse of faith, because fear and anxiety are symptomatic of faith struggles. Mark records them saying, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” They erroneously think Jesus does not care.

And many of us, when we are in the midst of a trial are guilty of responding to Jesus the same way… ‘God save me…I will die in this trial!’ Or, ‘God why don’t you care?’

Most often we do not perish in the storms, even when it feels like we are going to. We get anxious and fearful, and focus on our situation instead of trusting God.

Ps 55:22 “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you...

1 Pet 5:7 “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

We may think God has abandoned us, but God is right there with us...

Jesus didn’t send His disciples in the storm alone. He was in the boat with them.

Some of Jesus’ last words to His disciples, before He ascended to heaven, were “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:20

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God said of old, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5; cf. Deut 31:6, 8, Josh 1:5).

Jesus doesn’t abandon us in trials. He was in midst of the fire with Daniel’s friends; He was in the boat with the disciples, and surely He is with us always.

The issue is not Jesus…it’s us. And, the problem we have is the same problem these disciples had...they neither hang onto the words of Jesus, nor keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.

Mark records Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Jesus said “Let us cross over,” He did not say, “Let us go under.” The disciples forgot Jesus’ words, and they had a momentary lapse of faith.

Abraham is a great example of a man who held onto God’s words and promises, and by doing so did NOT have a lapse of faith, and thus appears in Hebrews 11 (the ‘Faith Hall of Fame.’):

Heb 11:17-19 (NLT for ease of understanding): “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him [It was a storm of instruction]. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. [Abraham held onto God’s words and promises] And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

God promised Abraham that through Isaac the covenant would be fulfilled, and Abraham held onto these words.

There are words God has given you in His word, and prophetically as a ‘word of wisdom’ through people. And, you need to hang onto these words during trials…during the storms of life.

If you don’t have a word from God…the bible is full of promises…read, and I promise, the Holy Spirit will give you a word from the Lord!

In John 14:26, Jesus said, “But, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

You have the responsibility of hearing the words of Jesus…of being immersed in the words of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will in turn bring to remembrance a Rhema word for you just when you need it.

And, when the Holy Spirit brings God’s word to remembrance, do you know what the result is? It’s peace...

John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

When you are in a storm, and you are hanging onto His word, your heart will not be troubled nor afraid…you will have the peace of God.

And, don’t forget, the disciples were not in the boat alone, not only did they have Jesus, but they had one another…iron sharpens iron. This is why it’s so important to be in a Bible teaching church, because when the storms hit (and they will)…we get through the storms by knowing God’s word, and we do it together.

The disciples didn’t hang onto Jesus’ words, and thus they were distracted and fearful. They were anxious and thought they would perish.

The second issue the disciples had, was they took their eyes off Jesus. They looked at the great storm…they looked at the boat covered in waves, filling with water...when they should have had their eyes on Jesus.

What was Jesus doing during the storm? He was sleeping. Mark’s Gospel says Jesus was “asleep on a pillow.” He was resting. And, if Jesus is resting during a storm, then you can rest as well. If Jesus is panicking, then you go ahead. But, He never does…He rests in the storm.

We see a major contrast between Jesus and His disciples. Both are in the storm, but the disciples are fearful…and Jesus is resting. He is at peace.

To the Philippians Paul wrote, Phil 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When you have the ‘peace of God’… anxiety and fear will not reign in your heart… you will be able to rest in the storm…just like Jesus…nuzzled up to a pillow as waves are crashing all around.

Jesus responds to His disciples (verse 26), “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Luke records Jesus saying, “Where is your faith?”

Matthew Henry notes, “He does not chide them for disturbing Him with their prayers, but for disturbing themselves with their fears.”

Jesus was not grumpy for being prematurely awakened by the disciples. He was not upset about them coming to Him and pleading with Him. He was bothered by their fearful response…their misplaced faith.

When we rest in God, when we trust Him…there is little room for fear and unbelief to dwell in our hearts.

It’s not that the disciples didn’t have faith, they just got distracted by the world…by the storm and let fear overwhelm them. They temporarily misplaced their faith.

I’m sure none of you can relate to going through a difficulty in life and misplacing your faith? As soon as we forget His words and we take our eyes off Jesus (who is at peace during our storm), we misplace our faith.

Regardless of the disciples fears and faith folly, Matthew records, (verse 26) Jesus “...arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Mark records Jesus said, “Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”

Spurgeon stated, “He spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards.”

And, that’s true…the heart of man is much more stubborn. Jesus would need to instruct and rebuke His disciples numerous times throughout His ministry. The sea just needed to be spoken to once.

Despite the misplaced faith, the disciples at least call out to the Source…they cry out to Jesus to save them, and as always, He is merciful. With just a word, Jesus calms the storm. He brings peace…stillness…a great calm.

Matthew records the disciples response (verse 27), “So the men marveled...” Mark records “…they feared exceedingly...” Luke thought is best to record both feelings “…they were afraid, and marveled...”

Marvel: def. amazement, wonder.

Fear: def. terrify, frighten, but can also be rendered as awestruck.

Numerous times in scripture when men encounter God they respond in just the same way.

When Isaiah had a vision of the Lord on the throne he cried out “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isa 6:5).

When Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, he wrote “I fell on my face...” (Ezk 1:28).

When John had a vision of the Lord, he “fell at His feet as dead.” (Rev 1:17).

When you encounter God in a very real way, it is normal to fear and marvel…to be awestruck.

And, we can’t be too hard on the disciples, because the reality is they were still learning who He was (as are we).

As they feared and marveled, they said, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””

A major purpose Matthew records this account is to demonstrate to his Jewish audience that Jesus, the King has authority even over nature.

Ethan the Ezrahite in his contemplation of the greatness of God wrote, Ps 89:8-9 “O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. 9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.”

Jesus was able to calm the sudden raging sea on the Galilee, and He can calm the storms in our life as well…He has the power…the authority over both.

You may be here today, following Jesus...in the boat with Him...right in the center of God’s will, but God may still bring a storm of instruction to bring you to a greater place of understanding and intimacy with Him. That’s what He was doing with these disciples.

Experiencing trials in life, experiencing the Refiner’s fire is not a pleasant experience, but if they brings us closer God…if they conform us to the image of His Son…then the result is good.

There is purpose in these storms, so don’t fear.

Cling to His word, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. If He can rest in the storm, you can too!

Amen?

Worship Team Come.

So, as we looked at these various accounts of disciples following Jesus. Who did you relate to?

Do you identify with the ‘Over-Committed Scribe’, excited about Jesus, but you lose heart discovering following Jesus may result in sacrificing material comforts?

Or, do you relate to the ‘Me-First Follower’ desiring to follow Jesus, just not yet. Life stands supreme above taking up the cross and following Him.

Or, are you a ‘True Disciple’? You’re in the boat. Yeah, there may be storms in your life…yeah you may, at times, fear or misplace your faith, but are in in the boat? Are you in the center of God’s will…following Jesus where He leads you. Learning from your mistakes and growing in a deeper realization of who Jesus is. That’s where you want to be.

Let’s pray!

Communion: 1 Cor 11:23-29

“...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Please distribute the elements...

As the communion elements are being distributed, please take a moment to individually pray and praise God... remembering His sacrifice on the cross. And, examine yourself…asking forgiveness for whatever you need to confess to take communion in a worthy manner.

Once you have prayed, go ahead and take the communion elements, when you are ready. Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

----------------------------------------------

If you are not saved, if you have never confessed Jesus is your Lord, you have a couple options, either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion because then you would be taking the communion in an unworthy manner, -or- the better option... if you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, come up to me as the ushers are distributing the bread and the grape juice, and we will pray together, and you can partake in communion today.