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Again we see the need for Jesus to depart a place because of the multitudes that followed Him. Being by the Sea of Galilee, He ordered the Disciples to acquire boats and transport them to the other side. It was not because He did not have compassion upon the multitudes, but there was much that He still needed to teach the Disciples and time was growing short.
Upon arriving at the other side, two men approach Him with different understandings of "discipleship". His reply to each of these men are lessons to us about discipleship. His reply to each of them is different, adapting to the differences of sincerity of each one.
There was a certain "scribe" who appeared to be very sincere and approached Jesus and asked permission to follow Him. He did not put any stipulation upon his discipleship, stating that he would follow Jesus wherever He went.
We do not know why this man wanted to follow Jesus. Perhaps it was the miracles that he saw Jesus do. Perhaps it was his hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom and that he would be a part of it. People want to be part of religion for many reasons, some spiritual and some earthly.
Notice how Jesus answered this man. Whatever motivated this man was certainly no secrete to Jesus, He immediately set the man straight by telling him for His poverty. "I do not have even a place to lay my head." The birds of the air and the foxes of the field are well taken care of but the Son of Man had no where to lay His head. It is strange that Jesus replied this way to this man. A scribe might be capable of doing more for Jesus than 12 fishermen, but Jesus saw his heart and answered accordingly.
Some lessons can here be learned about coming to Christ:
The second man was quite different than the scribe, to him, there was no haste. He wanted to be a disciple, but he wanted to finish his business first. His father had died and he wanted to bury him. Seems like an honest request, doesn't it? Most believe that his father was not actually dead but rather quite ill and surly would, at some time in the future, die.
Jesus' answer to the man was not made to express lack of compassion. He was attempting to express a fact. God initiates the "call". We are not at liberty to bargain with it. God determines the "time", it is not of our will but of God's mercy. God will not always tarry nor will He continue to seek after us.
"Let the dead bury the dead." Let the dead, spiritually, bury the dead, physically To be employed by the Lord is to be at work with the living. Christ requires those who would follow Him to "hate" father and mother (Luke 14:26) and love them less than God.
So these are, at least, two requirements for discipleship, do away with all selfish motivations and give up all and follow Him.
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