Matthew 8:18 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Matthew 8:18

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(Synoptics: Matthew 8:18-22) Matthew now tells us of two wrong approaches to Christ. One was much too forward, and the other was much too slow, but both thought they wanted to follow him. Why is this recorded? Because all of us need help in how we come to Christ. We are responsible to scrutinise ourselves, to ask God’s help to search our hearts, and to guard against wrong approaches to Christ. A wrong approach to him will result in him not accepting us as his disciple – the passage makes that very clear. Unfortunately, his people are not so discerning, and there are churches which welcome all without question. The end result is churches filled with deluded men and women.The first one to come to the Lord is a scribe. A scribe, a disciple of Christ! This is most unusual, for as a group the scribes were opposed to Christ and some of his fiercest opposition came from the scribes and Pharisees. A few, like Nicodemus, came as secret disciples, but here is one who is quite open about his discipleship, and wants to attach himself to Christ publicly – he says all this in front of the crowds. His case is so unusual that it is remarkable to find that he gets a rebuff. He is thrust away, and made to think. We can hope that as a result of this he came back to the Lord later with a better approach.Christ has given a commandment to the disciples to depart to the other side of Galilee by ship. They are crossing over to Gadara a region to the south east of Galilee. This scribe has seen something in Christ which he admires, and wants to be associated with, but he does not really know who he is. He says ‘Master’, and when people call him this, or ‘Teacher’, they betray that they don’t see him as God, but only as a prophet. He has come with the wrong understanding, and there will always be those who seek him but will not find him because of wrong motives, wrong understanding. He comes with a flattering comment – ‘I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.’ He wants to pledge loyalty to the Lord, but he has not really counted the cost of discipleship. He uses strong language, ‘Whithersoever thou goest’, but didn’t know what he was saying. Would he be willing to face shame, persecution, vilification, to be put out by the other scribes? He thought only of the glory: ‘This man is popular.’ He was taken with his teaching, and wanted to be in the group. He saw maybe a Messiah, but an earthly one. He said, ‘There are benefits if this prophet can do something for us. Maybe there will be some privilege for me in this, because I was in at the start.’

Application

Often when people come in too much hurry, it is because they think they have seen benefits for themselves. Or they come because they think there is help for them: security in the afterlife, less fear of death, or it calms a troubled conscience. Some say, ‘It gives me peace within, to come to church.’ I wish it would do the opposite, and give them a strong sense of wrath. Maybe there is some conviction, but they do not see that they are sinners under condemnation, and bound for hell.

Some come to Christ like this. They don’t realise what they say. They should say, ‘I will love thee, give my life to thee, and be under thy government.’ They think they can still live for possessions, career, but avoid the worst sins by cleaning up a little, but they don’t realise the life of a disciple is a life of communion with God, daily prayer, sincere repentance. Not that it is hard to be saved. Salvation is free, but we must ask for a new life. If you are going to say this, you must understand what you say. It means a new life, being under his government.

Sadly, even some Christians try to live like this. At first you repented, but now the devil says, you can go back to your old life to some extent. You don’t have to give your life in service. The devil can turn us a long way back to where we were before.

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Matthew 8:18 Commentary and Bible Study