Matthew 8:14-22

Be Still: God, I give you this moment. Before the rush of the day begins, I am eager to meet with you and devote my thoughts and intentions to you. Come Holy Spirit. Amen

Read: Matthew 8:14-22 

Another of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.' (v21-22)

Encounter: What Jesus says sounds, on the surface, quite shocking. Of course, we don’t know if the man’s father had died. He may have just been getting older, perhaps becoming sick. It's likely the disciple was using future obligation as a way of postponing following Jesus for some time, possibly for years. Perhaps he was keeping his options open! Do we sometimes do this with friends, let alone Jesus? We are invited to something but don’t want to commit in case a better offer comes in. We like to keep our options open. Social culture would have us flee from commitment. But Jesus squashes this. It's important to say that Jesus isn’t being cold or uncaring. Rather, he’s going straight to the heart of what holds us back: 'Lord, I will… but first…' That phrase – 'but first' – is where so many dreams, callings, and acts of obedience go to die.

‘I’ll start praying more, but first let life calm down.’

‘I’ll forgive them, but first they need to apologise.’

‘I’ll follow you fully, Jesus… but first let me get everything sorted.’

Jesus cuts through all that hesitation and says, ‘Follow me now.’ Not when life is convenient. Not after we’ve handled everything else. Now. What Jesus is doing is so important, so urgent, that it is the one thing that matters. He isn’t rejecting responsibility or family love – he’s revealing what true discipleship costs. Following him means letting go of whatever delays our obedience.

Apply: Take time to search your thoughts with the Holy Spirit to see:
What is my ‘but first’?
What am I using as a reason to delay saying yes to Jesus?
When we keep waiting for the perfect time to follow, we’ll always find a reason not to. The call of Jesus is urgent because life with him starts now and there is kingdom work to do.

Devote: Jesus, I confess that I’ve said ‘but first’ to you too often. Help me to stop waiting for the perfect moment and follow you today. Help me trust that life with you is always worth saying 'yes' to.