Matthew 8:18-34
To the scribe who offered to follow Him wherever He went the Lord did not hide the fact that His way was one of complete self-denial. Even the birds of the air, for whom our heavenly Father cares (Matthew 6:26), are better provided for than their Creator when down here. What a stoop was His! He had no place on earth where to lay His head. It was only on the cross, when the work had been completed, that He was at last able to rest – or bow – His head (same Greek verb: John 19:30).
In verse 21 another man answers His invitation with an excuse which is apparently justified. What could be more legitimate than to be present at his father’s funeral? However pressing a duty may seem, no "first" can take the place of the Lord’s command (Matthew 6:33). We are not told what these two men then decided to do. What is important for us to know is whether we have responded to the call of the Lord Jesus.
The well known and beautiful picture of the crossing of the sea in the storm illustrates the earthly journey of the believer. He encounters a good many storms. But his Saviour is also the Master of the elements and He is with him (Psalms 23:4). He commands the wind and the waves, sickness and death, and Satanic powers, as is shown by the deliverance of the two demoniacs in the country of the Gergesenes.