Matthew 8:19-20 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

This interaction, along with the one following about family responsibilities, should give us all pause. Following Jesus calls for total commitment. I am impressed that here it was a scribe, a theologian of the day, who was pledging to follow Jesus. Like Nicodemus in John 3, he recognized that Jesus fulfilled too many of the Old Testament Scriptures to be just an itinerant preacher, and he wanted to absorb as much of what Jesus said as he could. However, Jesus didn’t coddle him in the least. Most people would be very honored, flattered, even, to have this happen, but Jesus laid it on the line. He didn’t need the opinions of men to tell Him who He was! We have no record of what the scribe did after this, but I would certainly hope that after the resurrection he joined the group of believers. Likewise, the next person should make us think. Most scholars agree that the man’s father wasn’t yet dead, but he was asking to become a disciple after that happened – which could have been years in the future. The Bible tells us to honor our parents, even in the 10 Commandments, but following God is to be our first priority. Jesus Himself left Mary to His siblings as He did His ministry, and from the cross He entrusted her to John. This in no way says we are to discard our families, but again it comes back to priorities. This comes down to the first of the 10 Commandments, to have no other Gods besides Yahweh. Anything we put ahead of obedience to Him becomes an idol in that moment, and we should have none of that.

My mother, as a missionary from her 20s, said that the only thing she felt she really sacrificed to be a missionary was proximity to family. That was long before routine air travel, much less the Internet, and even international phone calls were difficult and terribly expensive, so it was indeed a real sacrifice. I am currently getting a taste of that, with wanting to be there physically for my brother, but I have far more options than my mother did. Caring about and for my family isn’t a bad thing by any means, but it isn’t my first priority. At this point I am reassured about his situation and condition, and am at peace about our current plans to go for a visit in April, but my priority must first and foremost be obedience to my Lord, whatever He says. There are things for me to take care of here, and I am to be faithful in every detail. God has good plans for each of us, and I am to trust Him enough to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Help me indeed be faithful at the tasks You have for me, accepting Your priorities and not interposing my own, so that all of Your purposes may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!