Matthew 8:19-20 -- On Commitment to Christ

"And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Matthew 8:19-20


These verses hit me today because it seemed to me that Christ was not rejecting the scribe's offer, but instead making sure that he knew what it meant, so his choice was informed.  Kind of like the answer he gave to the rich man who asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17-22).  Sometimes we want to take the next step in our discipleship, but we don't understand what it will really require of us.  And sometimes we understand what it requires, and it seems like too much to give up.  That means, of course, that we are putting something before God in our lives and our priorities need to be straightened out in order to take the next step on the path... but that doesn't necessarily make it easier to do.

Christ is merciful and kind.  He knows that we are still learning and growing.  That's why he allows us to "Go, and sin no more" (John 8:11), and responds when we plead "help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).  At every stage of our spiritual journey though, he wants to make sure we know exactly what we are getting into and that we are choosing that commitment openly.  If we aren't, then our next step is to figure out how to want to take that next step, because doubt and resentment aren't part of the plan.

Here, the scribe wanted to follow Christ, but perhaps didn't realize that following him carried so much uncertainty and seeming instability.  And we have times in our lives like this as well, where we like the idea of following God, but the reality of it hits us in the face... finding out that the promised land is just more empty wilderness is sometimes difficult because it is hard to see the glorious potential through the mountain of effort in the way. :)

Today, as we move forward on the gospel path, let's ensure that we talk to God about what we're getting into, and that we're ready to make that commitment.  Perhaps setting our priorities in order will require a mighty change of heart (Alma 5:12, Mosiah 5:2), but that's another thing that God can help us with, if we are willing. :)