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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.”
 
Luke 9:58
 
If someone would take the time to study Jesus — His life, works, teachings — it’s sporadic for a person not to want to follow Him. Perhaps the only person who wouldn’t want to be a disciple of Jesus is someone who had already made up his mind to reject Christ regardless.
 
In today’s verse, Jesus is speaking to an individual who had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard His teachings. Matthew tells us that the man is a scribe, an esteemed man belonging to a group of religious experts. He is a lawyer who interprets the law and Jewish traditions. He is a highly educated man and his group is generally hostile to Jesus. That said, he appears to want to be a disciple of Jesus.
 
The scribe addresses Jesus as “Teacher” (Greek “didaskalos”) and offers himself as a willing student. This scenario is unusual, mainly because an academic penman is asking to be the pupil of an unschooled rabbi.
 
This is not the first time people wanted to follow Jesus. In John chapter 2, people saw Jesus perform many signs and wonders, and many believed in His name. However, the Lord did not invest in them because He knew that they only wanted to see more of His miracles.
 
Jesus’ response is a masterful way of testing the man’s commitment. The scribe is impressed with the Lord and wants to be His learner. However, he fails to consider Jesus’ lifestyle. As an esteemed interpreter of the law, this scribe is probably living a comfortable life. On the other hand, Jesus does not even own a house. He and His disciples are staying in the homes of those who invite them over. Jesus’ statement is a challenge to the scribe to see if he is willing to leave behind his life of comfort and prestige.
 
In practical terms, Jesus is not commanding every believer to live in poverty or abandon family and friends. In fact, there were wealthy believers in the first century, such as Joseph of Arimathea and Philemon. Jesus’ point is that a Christian must be willing to turn his back on whatever may stand in the way of committing to Him. In other words, our love for Jesus must have no competition. He is a jealous God.
 
The Lord understands our weaknesses and our tendency to get our priorities mixed up. If we are serious about following Him, we should dedicate our whole life to Him. Everything we do must align with His divine command of loving Him above all else and loving others as ourselves.
 
If Jesus demands you to leave behind the things that you treasure the most, what would you lose? You have nothing to worry about if He is your greatest possession.
 
Pursue the Saviour today!
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