Matthew 8:18-22
The King calls would-be disciples to count the cost and follow Him with undivided urgency.
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
19 A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
The King calls would-be disciples to count the cost and follow him with undivided urgency.
Matthew records Jesus interrupting the momentum of crowds and miracles to clarify that following him requires costly allegiance, homelessness with the Son of Man, and urgent priority over even weighty social obligations.
Jesus is surrounded by crowds near the lake and gives orders to cross to the other side.
The Authority of Jesus over Uncleanness, Sickness, Discipleship, Storms, and Demons
The authoritative King who taught the kingdom now displays his authority over uncleanness, sickness, distance, discipleship, creation, and demons, calling forth true faith and costly following.