And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” Matthew 8:19-20 ESV
Jesus’ example to us throughout his ministry spoke of many of the necessary areas of sacrifice one must make to be a true follower. Such as what he said in Matthew 8:19 as he spoke to a Jewish scribe, our hearts alone determine if we are able. Scribes (writers in the Jewish faith) did fairly well financially. Scribes were highly skilled and well paid by Jewish leaders to record speech or recopy sacred texts without flaw. Here, the scribe’s desire is to follow Christ but without knowing, is ignorant to the level of self-sacrifice it will take to truly do so. Jesus knows the heart of the scribe and provides elements of nature to illustrate how a follower lives. His words “nowhere to lay his head” is not about the absence of a physical bed, as it is understanding that the world will not accept you if you become a disciple. Jesus wanted the scribe to realize that following him demands total surrender and total acceptance that the world we live in is not our home. Essentially, the scribe must have left behind all desires for earthly possessions and securities to walk a path many would not.
Jesus’ heart was not for earthly fame and riches; the focus of his ministry was to bring glory to God and fulfill his will for the redemption of mankind. To lay his head would be to consider earth his permanent home. Jesus knew the scribe’s heart was not willing. As with the young rich ruler (Matthew 19:16-22), Jesus seeks those who hold no desire to sew into the life they are currently living but instead sew into the Kingdom of God.
Does this mean we need to leave our families, sell our homes and give all of our money to charity? Absolutely not. We have to ask ourselves though, what is first in our own heart? Do we desire him above all? I often take a self-inventory and truthfully, I find elements of my life I hold above him whether it would be my career, my plans or even my family. It sounds extreme but I know that without him being my first desire, my family will not receive the love and support it needs from me to remain spiritually healthy.
Maybe conduct a self-inventory and see where your heart stands. Self-reflection leads to growth. We become more self-aware of the roadblocks in our life that hold us back from growing in our relationship with God.
