Correspondence: Matt. 8:19-22; 1 Pet. 3:19; 1 John 2:20, 27

From: Young Christian: Volume 33, 1943

Matthew 8:19‑22 • 3 min. read • grade level: 7

Question: What is the meaning of Matthew 8:19-22¹⁹And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. ²⁰And 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. ²¹And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. ²²But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:19‑22)?

Answer: This is a lesson on discipleship,—that is on following Christ. Salvation is ours through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; only these could be true disciples; others who would turn away from the Lord deliberately, and walked no more with Him, were those who were not born again (see John 2:23-25; 6:66-71²³Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. ²⁴But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, ²⁵And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:23‑25)
⁶⁶From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. ⁶⁷Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? ⁶⁸Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? ⁷¹He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. (John 6:66‑71)).

One that is born again has eternal life, and eternally saved through the finished work of the Lord Jesus. (John 5:24; 10:28-29²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:28‑29); Eph. 2:8⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8); Heb. 10:14¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)). Now real believers fail in their conduct, while their standing in Christ is ever the same (Rom. 8:1¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)).

This lesson in Matthew 8:19-22¹⁹And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. ²⁰And 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. ²¹And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. ²²But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:19‑22) shows us the self interest of our hearts. Was the scribe prepared to follow one who had nowhere to lay His head? And the other did not want to follow the Lord till his father was dead and buried; but the Lord said, “Follow Me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

We may be sure, if one really follows Christ, he will not neglect his home duties, nor any responsibility he has. Christ must be first. “To me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)).

In Luke 9:57⁵⁷And 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) to 62 we have another lesson added to the two given in Matthew. “Another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go and bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.”

This man also put others before Christ; he must pay attention to his friends first with a show of zeal.

The selfishness of our hearts makes us think, if we follow Christ, and put His honor first, that we shall lose our comfort, our character, and our connections; while in reality we lose nothing, for the Lord looks after our comforts with countless mercies day by day, and our sharing His rejection, brings, with the reproach, a joy in communion with Him that gladdens and strengthens our hearts.

So with our character, God looks after that. We just need to do what He bids us, and those dependent upon us will not suffer either, nor will we fail in our affection to our relatives. Obedience to the Lord takes all these in.

Well we may lose some of our friends and connections for Christ’s sake, but our true friends, will be those who seek to follow the same blessed Saviour.

Question: Please explain 1 Peter 3:19¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (1 Peter 3:19).

Answer: It refers to Noah preaching by the Spirit of Christ to the antideluvians, who are now in prison because they did not believe Him. Christ Himself did not do the preaching; there was no preaching in the prison (chapter 4:6); the gospel was preached while they were living, to them that are dead.

Question: Please explain 1 John 2:20, 27²⁰But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. (1 John 2:20)
²⁷But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27).

Answer: The Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer gives power and discernment to try the spirits, and thus judge what would dishonor the person of Christ as come in flesh. The Holy Spirit is the anointing, the seal, and the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts (2 Cor. 1:21-22²¹Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; ²²Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2 Corinthians 1:21‑22)).

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