Disciples Three #2

Friday, August 13, 2021

“And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest” (Luke 9:57 KJV).

Does today’s Scripture and its context have any modern counterparts? (Indeed, they do!)

We carefully re-read the verses pertaining to the first disciple: “[57] And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. [58] And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Matthew chapter 8, while a different context (and likely another man), is nevertheless quite similar: “[19] And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. [20] And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

Unfortunately, Jesus’ words have often been misunderstood here. In what sense does “the Son of Man have not a place to lay His head?” Although commonly assumed to be stressing His poverty, a more excellent way to look at this is to see it as underscoring His rejection. The foxes have their dens, places in which to relax. Also, the birds have their nests, homes in which to settle down. However, can the Lord Jesus Christ be comfortable in Israel? No, He cannot, for they do not want Him! “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).

In addition to what has already been stated, we can also discern some symbolism here. King Herod Antipas is called a “fox” because of his cunning craftiness and deception (Luke 13:32). Likewise, Ezekiel 13:4 associates ancient Israel’s false prophets to “foxes.” Birds symbolize Satan (Mark 4:4,15; Luke 8:5,12). In other words, Israel enjoys a pagan king over herself, a false teacher with herself, and an evil spirit in herself—but she will not have the Saviour, Jesus Christ! Therefore, when the man boasts, “Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest,” Christ asks him if he is ready to bear His rejection as his own. Let us hear the second disciple….