Do you think it is easy to follow the Lord? If you told the Lord you wanted to follow Him, how do you think He would respond? Would He gladly receive you and tell you how wonderful you are? A certain scribe approached Jesus in that way. Let’s see what happened.
Matthew 8:19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.
Don’t you think that should have pleased Jesus? Most preachers today would feel very good about themselves if that happened to them. Every shepherd wants to add sheep to his flock.
Matthew 8:20 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.
Now that seems like a strange response, don’t you think? Jesus did not seem to be excited about adding a sheep to His flock at all. Have you ever heard of a pastor turning down someone who wanted to join his church? This certain scribe was willing to follow the Lord wherever He would go, or so he says. He obviously was not aware that Jesus would be going to the cross. Following the Lord is not always a fun thing that will make you feel super spiritual. Most of the scribes and Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus and was constantly trying to find a way to do it. “Oh, that does not happen to disciples today!” Yes, it does. Anyone dedicated to really waking with the Lord will be under continuous assault. Even your anti-Christ nature will war against you.
Jesus’ response to the certain scribe was “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Jesus was not saying that He did not have a place to sleep at night. When He speaks of His head here, He is speaking mystically of His Headship, His Lordship. Jesus is the Head (Lord) of a true disciple.
Foxes have holes. The fox’s hole is his domain. It is where he is safe, secure and can raise a family of little foxes. It is his domain; he is the lord over it. The same is true with the birds. A bird is the lord over his nest. The bird raises its family in that nest. Everything in and about that nest is under the care of the bird. The bird is the lord over her domain.
So, Jesus saying that He had nowhere to lay His head speaks of His Lordship. He is saying, so to speak, “Mr. Scribe, are you willing to come under My Lordship? Will you give up the rights to yourself and live in My domain? Will you submit your life to Me?"
Copyright © 2011 by Henry DuBose