Matthew 8:21

And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Since this is more fully given in Luke, we must take both together. "And He said unto another of his disciples, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead" - or, as more definitely in Luke, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." This disciple did not, like the former, volunteer his services, but is called by the Lord Jesus, not only to follow, but to preach Him. And he is quite willing; only, he is not ready just yet. "Lord, I will; but" - `There is a difficulty in the way just now; but that once removed, I am Thine.' What now is this difficulty? Was his father actually dead-lying a corpse-having only to be buried? Impossible. As it was the practice, as noticed o...

21._Lord, permit me to go first and bury my father. _We have said, that the scribe was rejected by Christ as a follower, because he made his offer without consideration, and imagined that he would enjoy an easy life. The person whom Christ retains had an opposite fault. He was prevented from immediately obeying the call of Christ by the weakness of thinking it a hardship to leave his father. It is probable that his father was in extreme old age: for the mode of expression, _Permit me to bury, _implies that he had but a short time to live. Luke says that Christ ordered him to _follow; _while _Matthew _says that he was _one of his disciples _But he does not refuse the calling: he only asks leave for a time to discharge a duty which he owes to his father. (506) The excuse bears that he looked upon himself as at liberty till his father’s death. From Christ’s reply we learn, that children sho...

18-22 One of the scribes was too hasty in promising; he proffers himself to be a close follower of Christ. He seems to be very resolute. Many resolutions for religion are produced by sudden conviction, and taken up without due consideration; these come to nothing. When this scribe offered to follow Christ, one would think he should have been encouraged; one scribe might do more credit and service than twelve fishermen; but Christ saw his heart, and answered to its thoughts, and therein teaches all how to come to Christ. His resolve seems to have been from a worldly, covetous principle; but Christ had not a place to lay his head on, and if he follows him, he must not expect to fare better than he fared. We have reason to think this scribe went away. Another was too slow. Delay in doing is as bad on the one hand, as hastiness in resolving is on the other. He asked leave to attend his fath...

Verse Matthew 8:21. _ANOTHER OF HIS DISCIPLES_] This does not mean any of the _twelve_, but one of those who were constant hearers of our Lord's preaching; the name of _disciple_ being common to all those who professed to believe in him, John 6:66. _Bury my father_: probably his father was old, and apparently near death; but it was a maxim among the Jews, that, if a man had any duty to perform to the _dead_, he was, for that time, free from the observance of any other precept or duty. The children of Adam are always in extremes; some will rush into the ministry of the Gospel _without a call_, others will delay long after they are called; the middle way is the only safe one: not to move a finger in the work till the call be given, and not to delay a moment after....

AND ANOTHER OF HIS DISCIPLES ... - The word “disciple” properly signifies “learner,” and was given to the followers of Jesus because they received him as their teacher. See the notes at Matthew 5:1. It does not of necessity mean that a “disciple” was a pious man, but only one of the multitude, who, for various causes, might attend on his instructions. See John 6:66; John 9:28. SUFFER ME FIRST TO GO AND BURY MY FATHER - This seemed to be a reasonable request, as respect for parents, living or dead, is one of the first duties of religion. But the Saviour saw that in his circumstances there might be danger, if he was thus permitted to go, that he would not return to him:

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 8:1 MESSIAH'S WORK AS COMPLEMENTARY TO HIS TEACHING. We return in this section to matter which resembles that of Mark and Luke, and undoubtedly belongs to the Framework (_vide _Introduction). St. Matthew has given a lengthy summary of the teaching of the Christ, and he now supplements it by a summary of his daily work. He is not concerned with the chronological connexion of the incidents here narrated, for this is evidently to him a matter of but secondary importance. He only desires to bring out different aspects of the Lord's life. Thus he notices— 1. Christ's miracles of healing, and the secret of his ability to perform them (verses 1-17). 2. The personal t

AND ANOTHER OF HIS DISCIPLES SAID UNTO HIM,.... That is, one of his disciples; for this does not suppose, that the other, the Scribe before mentioned, was one. It is possible, he might be one of the twelve. The Persic version makes him one of the disciples, whom they call "Hawarion", apostles; and, according to ancient tradition, it was d Philip. And certain it is, that he was one, who was called to preach the Gospel; so that he was not a common ordinary disciple; nor could he be one of the seventy disciples, since it was after this, that they were called and sent forth; as appears from Luke's account, Luke 9:60. But who he particularly was, cannot be certainly known, nor is it of any great importance to know it: his address to Christ is made with great respect and reverence, and in a very modest and humble manner, LORD, SUFFER ME FIRST TO GO AND BURY MY FATHER: for it seems, ac

Matthew 8:1. _When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him,_ Great multitudes often count for nothing; it is here or there one who is the notable individual. There may be a great company come up outwardly to worship, but it is the soul that comes into contact with Christ that is the most worthy of observation. There is no «Behold!» when the great multitudes are mentioned by Matthew; but there is a «Behold!» before the record of the leper coming to Christ: «Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him.» Let us all be of the leper's mind, let us worship Christ. Surely we may do so, if only out of gratitude for having escaped from so dire a disease; but, inasmuch as, spiritually, by nature that disease is upon us, we have good reason to come to Jesus as the «leper came, and worshipped him,»-...

MATTHEW 8:21 tw/n maqhtw/n @auvtou/# {C} Although the support of a B 33 ita copsa for the omission of auvtou/ would usually be regarded as exceptionally strong evidence, in this case a majority of the Committee was impressed by the possibility that auvtou/ may have been deleted in order to prevent the reader from inferring that the grammateu,j of ver. Matthew 8:19 was one of Jesus’ disciples. On the other hand, it can be argued that it is because of the word e[teroj, not auvtou/, that a reader might infer that...

6. THE KING MANIFESTED BY SIGNS OF DIVINE POWER. Chapter s 8-9. CHAPTER 8 1. The Healing of the Leper. (Matthew 8:1 .) 2. The Healing of the Centurion's Servant. (Matthew 8:5 .) 3. The Healing of Peter's Wife's Mother.(Matthew 8:14 .) 4. The Healing of All. (Matthew 8:16 .) 5. The Self-seeking Scribe and the Test of True Discipleship.(Matthew 8:18 .) 6. His Power over Nature. (Matthew 8:23 .) 7. His Power over the Demons. ...