Day 23: Monday, April 27
Matthew 8:14-22
Now when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve them. When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. In this way what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled:
“He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.”
Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. Then an expert in the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
At this stage, Jesus has a lot of popularity. The crowd has not yet grasped the cost of following Jesus. Even today people are interested in following Christ until they understand the cost. It seems like Jesus is almost discouraging these people from following Him. Why do you think He is giving such stern warnings?
Jesus knows that great persecutions will come. The more He preaches about the Kingdom of Heaven the stronger opposition will come from the kingdoms of the world. Even His disciples didn't understand the cost of following Him. Jesus warned James and John that it would be hard for them to drink the cup of suffering that He drank (Mark 10:38.) Even Peter thought he knew the cost, but denied Jesus in the end (Matthew 26:69-75.)
Prayers
Pray that you might overcome any difficulties and hardships that would hinder you from following Jesus. Pray that you will have opportunities to help others follow Jesus.