Matthew evidently inserted these teachings about discipleship because they show the nature of Jesus' ministry and the kind of disciples He requires. The King has power over people as well as sickness. He can direct others as His servants, and they need to respond to Him as their King.
8:18-19 Verse 18 gives the occasion for the scribe's statement in verse 19 (cf. Mark 4:35). There was only so much room in the boat, and the scribe wanted to get in with other disciples. At this time in Jesus' ministry there were many more than just 12 disciples, though the Twelve were an inner circle of disciples. As mentioned above, the word "disciple"does not necessarily identify fully committed followers or even believers (cf. 5:1; 8:21). This scribe, a teacher of the law, looked to Jesus as his "teacher."He wanted to learn from Him. He was willing to follow Him anywhere to do so.
". . . the designations rabbi' and teacher' attribute to the person so addressed human respect but nothing more. Hence, in addressing Jesus as teacher,' the religious leaders accord Jesus the honor they would accord any teacher, but this is the extent of it. To their mind Jesus' station is not that of the Messiah Son of God, his authority is not divine, and they in no sense follow him or have faith in him."390
Some scholars believe that Matthew consistently denigrated the scribes in his Gospel.391I do not believe he did this. Matthew seems to present everyone who came to Jesus without prejudice. The issue to Matthew was how various people responded to Jesus.
8:20 Jesus' reply did not encourage or discourage the scribe. It simply helped him count the cost of following Him as a disciple. Jesus was very busy travelling from one place to another as an itinerant preacher and teacher. His healing ministry complicated His life because it attracted crowds that placed additional demands on Him. He had no regular home as most people did but travelled all over Galilee. The scribe needed to understand this if he wanted to keep up with Jesus. We should not interpret Jesus' statement to mean that He was penniless and could not afford shelter at night (cf. Luke 8:1-3). His ministry simply kept Him on the move.
Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man."This expression occurs 81 times in the Gospels, 69 times in the Synoptics, and 30 times in Matthew.392In every instance except two it was a term Jesus used of Himself. In those two instances it is a term others who were quoting Jesus used (Luke 24:7; John 12:34). Though it occurs in several Old Testament passages, as well as in apocryphal Jewish literature, its use in Daniel 7:13-14 is messianic. There "one like a son of man"approaches the Ancient of Days and receives "authority, glory, and sovereign power."He also receives "an everlasting dominion that will not pass away"in which "all peoples, nations, and men of every language"worship Him. By using this title Jesus was claiming to be the divine Messiah.
However most of Jesus' hearers probably did not associate this title with a messianic claim when they first heard it. Many of them were not well enough acquainted with Daniel 7:13-14 to understand its meaning. Many who did understand its significance held a concept of Messiah that the rabbis had distorted. Furthermore other Old Testament references to the son of man were not messianic. For example, David used the term to refer to man generically (Ps. 8:4). Asaph used it to describe Israel (Ps. 80:17). In the Book of Ezekiel it is a favorite term God used when He addressed Ezekiel.
God used this term many times in the Old Testament to stress the difference between frail mortal man and God Himself.393Jesus' use of the title combined both the messianic and mortal ideas. He was both the Messiah King and the Suffering Servant of the Lord. Some who heard Him use this title probably did not know what it meant. Others understood Jesus' claim to messiahship, and others thought He was simply referring to Himself in a humble way.
". . . the Son of man' is not of the nature of a Christological title the purpose of which is to inform the reader of who Jesus is.' Instead, it is a self-designation that is also a technical term, and it describes Jesus as the man,' or the human being' (this man,' or this human being') (earthly, suffering, vindicated). It is in public' or with a view to the public,' or world' (Jews and Gentiles but especially opponents), that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of man' (this man'). Through his use of this self-reference, Jesus calls attention, for one thing, to the divine authority that he (this man') exercises now and will also exercise in the future and, for another thing, to the opposition that he (this man') must face. And should the question be raised as to who this man' Jesus is, the answer is, as Peter correctly confesses, that he is the Son of God (16:13, 16)."394
In 8:20 "the Son of Man"occurs in a context that stresses Jesus' humanity. The scribe would have understood Jesus to have meant that if he followed Jesus he could anticipate a humble, even uncomfortable, existence. He should also have understood, since he was a teacher of the Old Testament, that Jesus was claiming to be Israel's Messiah.
Anyone who wants to follow Jesus closely as a disciple must be willing to give up many of the normal comforts of life. Following Him involves embarking on a mission in life. Going where He directs and doing what he commands must take precedence over enjoying the normal comforts of life when these conflict. Discipleship is difficult.
The first disciple was too quick when he promised wholehearted allegiance. This second disciple was too slow performing wholehearted allegiance.
Evidently this disciple made his request as the boat was ready to depart for the next place of ministry (v. 18). He apparently meant that he wanted some time off from being with Jesus to attend to family matters. Some students of this passage have concluded that the disciple's father had not yet died and that he was asking for an indefinite leave of absence from Jesus' company.395Others believe that he had already died. In either case the disciple wanted to drop out temporarily.
Jesus' reply urged the disciple to keep following Him, not to suspend his commitment to Jesus. He should put his commitment to Jesus even before his commitment to honor his parents (Exod. 20:12). When following Jesus and other commitments conflict, the disciple must always follow Jesus even though his or her other commitments are legitimate. Jesus was testing this man's priorities. Which was more important to him, following Jesus and participating in whatever Jesus' will for him might involve or abandoning Jesus even temporarily for some less important purpose? His was not a choice between something good and something evil but between something good and something better (cf. 10:37).
Jesus continued by encouraging the disciple to let the dead bury the dead. Apparently He meant, let the spiritually dead (i.e., those who have no interest in following Jesus) bury the physically dead. There are many worthy activities in life that a true disciple of Jesus must forgo because he or she has a higher calling and higher demands on him or her. Forgoing these activities may bring criticism on the disciple from the spiritually insensitive, but that is part of the price of discipleship (cf. 7:13-27). Jesus called for commitment to Himself without reservation. The person and mission of the King deserve nothing less.
