“The King’s Followers”
Matthew 8:23-9:13
“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.” - Matthew 9:9
This “followed Him” is different from the multitudes that “followed Him.” The multitudes followed the miracles; the disciples followed the message.
While the Gospels do record a miracle/message pulse, it is without a doubt the message that is the more important.
“Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” [Matt 9:2] This is the message; the critical objective, the forgiveness of sin. The paralytic and his companions, however, sought physical healing, and understandably so. Asking our Lord to heal is a good thing, because it shows we believe the truth; that nothing is impossible with God.
But the scribes replied, “This Man blasphemes” [Matt 9:3]. Jesus then responded with a miracle, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And at that moment, “he arose and departed to his house.” The greater work was the spiritual healing [the forgiveness of sin], but that spiritual work was ratified by physical healing. This is the miracle/message theme of the Gospels, summarized in these handful of verses.
But notice the one thereafter who followed: Matthew, the man who penned this Gospel [ref. vv.9-13]. The multitudes followed miracles, but this unclean tax collector followed the message, and this is what set him apart as a disciple.
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” [Mat 8:20] Will we follow Jesus at such cost? “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” [Matt 8:22] Will we follow Jesus at such sacrifice? The crowds said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go” [Matt 9:19], but it is questionable whether they did. They followed miracles; they followed their emotions.
But here we see another type of follower, a true disciple, one who leaves his old way and goes a new. While disciples have emotions, they are not led by them; they follow their Lord. Emotions are indeed a tricky thing in this life of faith.
There is a cost to following Christ. It will cost you your old life, your old friends, and even some of your “old family.” But that is ok. It is ok because it is the way of Christ. It is a “narrow way” [ref. Matt 7:13-14].
Take it from our Lord’s very words: The narrow way is the better way because it is His way. Go that way and you will be good to go in all things. You will experience true spiritual blessing that no one can take away.
