Sermon Tone Analysis

If you have your Bible this morning, and I hope that you do, turn with me to Matthew chapter 8.

Last week, we began a series through the gospel of Matthew… I drank some water and made a couple people almost throw up.

I appreciate the comments that were shared with me after last week.

Bill said that after the water thing, Sara would never see me the same again.

But also… Chris came up to me and said that Matthew was his favorite gospel.

And I think I agree with him.

Of course we know that God is the author of the Bible.

These are His words… but He used men, and their unique styles to write it.

And Matthew, I’m convinced, was an absolute genius.

Matthew is VERY intentional about what he says… when he says it… and how he says it.

His account of the gospel is absolute literary genius.

And our very short story passage today is just that.

It’s very intentional… and poignant.

Matthew’s gospel is designed to move us from the fringe… from the outer circle… and into the inside.

Matthew wants to move us from the casual crowd… to a follower of Jesus.

Chapter 8 begins by saying… Jesus comes down from the mountain… and this crowd is following.

Everything that Jesus does… that Matthew records for us… is to try and move that crowd to being followers of Jesus.

And Matthew writes the very same way.

He’s very intentional about that.

He has a pattern that he follows to accomplish that goal.

Last week… We read about some miracles that Jesus performed.

He healed a leper by touching him… He healed a servant of the enemy with just His word… and He healed Peter’s mother-in-law without even being asked.

Matthew lays out these miracles… and today we get to a passage where a challenge is given… Follow Him.

If you were to keep reading… Matthew records some more miracles of Jesus… then, he lays out another… Follow challenge.

So, it’s almost as if Matthew is ordering the gospel like this… This is who Jesus is… This is what He can do… Follow Him.

Not convinced?

He’s more of who He is… Here’s more of what He can do… Follow Him.

In our passage today… We’re going to see two individuals who are on the fringe.

They have a decision to make… just like we do.

They’ve been confronted with who Jesus is and what He can do… So… Will they follow Him?

Last week, we set up our goal through this entire series.

And that goal is this… To find out who we are supposed to be as a church.

So, as we read our passage today, I want you to let these questions permeate your thoughts… Who are we supposed to be as Christians?

Who are we supposed to be as a Church?

And let’s see if you come to the same conclusion I have.

Let’s read Matthew chapter 8… beginning with verse 18…

This is the 1st man who is on the fringe… part of the crowd that’s been watching what Jesus has been doing.

And apparently, he’s been enamored with Jesus’ miracles and teachings… and so he approaches Jesus… I’ll follow you wherever you go! Jesus responds… Verse 20…

And so Jesus responds, and it almost seems kind of harsh.

But there is something about this man… something that Jesus knew… that this guy really isn’t committed.

I heard one pastor say that he imagined the man hopping out of an RV with 4 suitcases in his hands… ok Jesus, I’m all packed up and I’m ready to go!

In other words… he wanted to follow Jesus… as long as it didn’t cost him his comfort.

There’s something about this man that Jesus knew… this guy really isn’t committed.

This phrase that Jesus uses for Himself… the SON OF MAN… comes from the book of Daniel.

And it’s important phrase that’s used to draw our attention to something specific.

Read this with me on the screen.

Daniel chapter 7, verse 13…

The Son of Man in Daniel… if you noticed… has authority, and dominion, and glory, and is worshiped.

When Jesus uses the phrase here… He has nowhere to lay His head.

The foxes do… the birds do… but the Son of Man, who has all authority… and who has dominion over everything… He has nowhere to lay His head.

Why did Jesus use this phrase?

Why the contrast?

The contrast is there… Jesus specifically used that phrase to draw our attention to the fact that the Son of Man… Jesus… sacrificed EVERYTHING to come to this earth and to give Himself freely.

The idea here is sacrifice.

And here’s this guy, jumping out of his RV… suitcases in hand… he wants to follow Jesus, but doesn’t really want to compromise his comfort… Jesus says… look, to follow me, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice all that… you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice everything!

You’ve got to be willing to leave all that behind.

And although it never comes out and says this… the silence of the Scriptures suggests to us that this teacher picked up his suitcases… got back into his RV, and drove away.

He just wasn’t willing to leave everything behind in order to follow Jesus.

Our 2nd individual’ story beings with verse number 21. Look at it with me…

More harsh words from Jesus.

I mean… shouldn’t we take care of our deceased family?

Of course!

Right?

So, we have to understand a little bit about burial practices in the day to understand what’s happening here.

They had very rocky soil… and so they didn’t dig to bury their dead, like we do.

Their burials were in tombs… basically… caves.

And cave space was very limited.

Rich people had their own caves… but for the common man… space was very limited.

So the common practice of the day was… When someone died, you would place their body into a cave… and allow the body to decay… and then a year later, the family would go back into the cave, gather up the bones and package them neatly, bring them home and put them up on the shelf.

Now there’s room in the cave for another body.

I know… sounds very gross to us… but that was the practice in the day.

This man’s father had already died… And his body was already placed in the cave.

What he’s saying is this.

Jesus… I’ll follow you… but I have to wait a year because I’ve got to go collect the bones of my Father to make room in the cave.

I want to follow you, Jesus… but I need a year delay.

Jesus responds… Follow me and let the dead bury the dead.

The issue with the 2nd man here is priorities.

He’s basically saying… Jesus, this takes priority over following you.

I will!

I’ll follow you… after I take care of this more important thing.

This is not about Jesus saying… you can’t attend your dad’s funeral… this is about making other things priority over the Kingdom of God.

Let me ask this question.

Do we truly grasp that eternity really does hang in the balance?

Alright… Help me out here church.

Do we believe that Jesus is God?

Do we believe that Jesus, God the Son, really came down to earth and became the God-Man?

Do we believe that Jesus lived a perfect life… In perfect obedience to the Father?

Do we believe that having lived a perfect life… He became the perfect sacrifice by dying on a cross?

We believe those things?

We REALLY believe those things?

Why did He do it?

To redeem people!

Right?

To save people!

Because if someone does not accept Jesus, where is their eternal destination?

Hell.

We REALLY believe those things… Right?

So if my eternity… if your eternity… If the person down the road’s eternity TRULY hangs in the balance… Why do we get so wrapped up in the things of this world?

Why is what kind of car we drive so important?

Why is moving up the corporate ladder so important?