18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” 28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” 30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
1. Making the Decision to Follow Jesus (Matthew 8:18)
When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He told His disciples to cross to the other side of the lake (the Sea of Galilee). That seems strange—wasn’t this the best time to preach to the crowd? Why did Jesus leave when so many people were around Him?
Actually, Jesus wanted the people to make a decision: Do you really want to follow Him, or do you want to go home?
2. Following Jesus Means Paying a Price (Matthew 8:19–20)
As Jesus was about to leave, a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Teachers of the law were respected people who knew the Scriptures well. Many of them were against Jesus, so this man’s willingness to follow Jesus showed that he admired Jesus’ wisdom and wanted to learn from Him.
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Jesus meant: If you follow Me, you may also live a hard life, moving from place to place and facing suffering. Are you still willing to follow Me? Jesus wanted him to think carefully about the cost of being His disciple. Everyone likes to have a comfortable home, but Jesus was calling him to a life that might not have one. Jesus was not building an earthly kingdom or training better scholars—He was calling people who were willing to sacrifice for God.
I know a sister who once heard that new believers didn’t have Bibles to study. She looked everywhere for ways to send Bibles from Taiwan to the UK. Another time, when the church offering bags went missing, she quickly ordered two new ones online. I’ll always remember her love.
There was also a brother who used to drive us home every Sunday when we first arrived in the UK. And in City Life Church, there are some brothers and sisters who quietly spend their time, money, and effort to prepare light meals, and church supplies .
You may think these are small things—but being faithful in small things shows real love for God. Following Jesus isn’t something we do once; it’s a daily decision to keep walking with Him. Are you willing to follow Jesus every day?
3. Leaving Everything Behind (Matthew 8:21–22)
Another man said to , “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You follow Me.”
At first, Jesus’ reply seems unkind. But in Jewish custom, if someone had just died, they were buried within 24 hours. If this man’s father had just died, he wouldn’t be there talking with Jesus. So, “bury my father” really meant: Let me stay home until my father died; then I’ll follow you after receiving my inheritance.
Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead,” He meant that true life comes only from following Him. Jesus challenged him “Don’t wait. Follow Me now.” It’s because If we only care about money or family more than Jesus, we miss real life.
Jesus also said, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24–25).
Are you willing to pay that price now?
4. Two Reactions to Jesus’ Miracle (Matthew 8:28–34)
Jesus met two men with demons. He sent the demons into pigs, and the pigs ran into the sea and drowned.
But instead of welcoming Jesus, the whole town came out and asked Him to leave. Why? Because they cared more about their money than about the men’s freedom or God’s power.
Sometimes we say we want Jesus to work in our lives and our church? but when He starts changing things, we resist.We must let Jesus remove our sin, pride, and selfishness so that His love can shine through us.
The healed man wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus told him, “Go home and tell how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). The man obeyed and shared his story everywhere. This is a life of faith and obedience—the kind of life every Christian needs.
Christmas is coming soon. Are you willing to go out and tell others about Jesus’ good news?
Conclusion
Do you want to be a real disciple of Jesus? Are you willing to pay the price?
It’s not just about saying “I believe.” It means obeying and being willing to give up comfort, money, or time for God. We say we follow Jesus, but our hearts still hold on to our own desires. If God says, “Do not give up meeting together,” are you willing to skip a day of work to attend church? You know that God wants a closer relationship with you—that’s more important than money. But do you obey?
Some people say, “I have no choice, life is hard.” But is it really? Or are you creating your own busy world?
On Tuesday nights, our Bible study group is often small. Many think Bible study isn’t that important—but how you treat your small group shows how you treat God. When you serve people, you are serving Jesus.
A true disciple values God above everything—even family.
A true disciple follows Jesus now, not later.
Let’s not be “fast-food Christians” who only want easy blessings.
Let’s be real disciples who are ready to pay the price.
Remember this: “Whoever loses their life for Jesus will find it.”
