{"id":526,"date":"2015-01-07T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T12:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/?p=526"},"modified":"2014-12-12T23:29:23","modified_gmt":"2014-12-12T23:29:23","slug":"matthew-818-22-the-cost-of-following-jesus-cultural-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2015\/01\/matthew-818-22-the-cost-of-following-jesus-cultural-commentary.html","title":{"rendered":"Matthew 8:18-22; The Cost of Following Jesus (Cultural Commentary)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Jesus\u2019 time, it was customary for a would-be disciple to pick the rabbi who would become his mentor\/teacher. He would scout a \u201cmaster\u201d much the same way an aspiring student today picks a college, studying his options and picking the rabbi he felt would best equip him for future success.<\/p>\n

In this kind of environment, some potential disciples were inherently more prestigious than others. For instance, a lowly, uneducated fisherman would rank near the bottom of a rabbi\u2019s wish list. A scribe on the other hand would\u2019ve been a prized recruit for just about any rabbi.<\/p>\n

Although many ancient Jews could read and write, only a small number had regular access to\u00a0writing and reading materials,\u00a0and an even smaller portion actually had access to the Scriptures\u2014but a scribe had both. A scribe, then, was already well-educated, skilled at reading and writing, and very knowledgeable about the Old Testament books. Within the elite group of scribes an even more prestigious group of leaders had emerged: experts in teaching and interpreting Scripture. These were \u201cteachers of the law. It was one of these super-elite scholars who declared his intent to choose Jesus as his rabbi\/mentor (Matthew 8:18-20).<\/p>\n

Jesus should have been thrilled by the man\u2019s decision. This was like an NFL team signing a coveted, free-agent quarterback. A teacher of the law would\u2019ve been a prestigious addition to Christ\u2019s team of disciples, everyone knew that. Perhaps even this particular teacher of the law knew it. Maybe he thought he was doing Jesus a favor by joining his followers, we can\u2019t be sure. But we do know he liked the idea (maybe the reciprocal prestige?) of being associated with the immensely-popular Jesus of Nazareth.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 response to landing this prized recruit was unexpected. \u201cThe Son of Man has no place to lay his head,\u201d he said. It appears he was actually trying to talk the man out of his decision!<\/p>\n

Instead of welcoming the star disciple into his fold, Jesus redefined discipleship for him. There would be no prestige or perks waiting for him as a follower of Jesus. Rather, he would have to give up his place of honor among the religious establishment. He\u2019d be expected to endure sacrifice, hardship, and a deliberate abandonment of the demand for basic human necessities such as home and hearth. It was going to be all or nothing\u2014just the way Jesus lived it and also the way he intended it to be.<\/p>\n

We assume today that, upon hearing Jesus response, this teacher of the law changed his mind about following Jesus. It\u2019s certainly possible this is true, but Matthew doesn\u2019t tell the final outcome of this encounter. So, until we know otherwise, I like to believe this man meant it when he said to Jesus, \u201cI will follow you wherever you go\u201d\u2014even when it meant humbling himself and abandoning all the comforts and prestige he\u2019d know before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/a>:<\/p>\n

[ZB1, 58-59]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2126\u2126\u2126<\/p>\n

About: For Bible Study Nerds\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n

About: Mike Nappa<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2014 to present by\u00a0Nappaland Communications Inc<\/a>. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Jesus\u2019 time, it was customary for a would-be disciple to pick the rabbi who would become his mentor\/teacher. He would scout a \u201cmaster\u201d much the same way an aspiring student today picks a college, studying his options and picking the rabbi he felt would best equip him for future success. In this kind of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":571,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2],"tags":[224,16,226],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culturalcommentary","category-matthew","tag-discipleship","tag-jesus","tag-scribes"],"yoast_head":"\nMatthew 8:18-22; The Cost of Following Jesus (Cultural Commentary) - For Bible Study Nerds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2015\/01\/matthew-818-22-the-cost-of-following-jesus-cultural-commentary.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matthew 8:18-22; The Cost of Following Jesus (Cultural Commentary) - For Bible Study Nerds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Jesus\u2019 time, it was customary for a would-be disciple to pick the rabbi who would become his mentor\/teacher. 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