Matthew
8:18-21
When
Jesus saw the great crowds all gathering about him by the minute, he gave
orders to leave for the other side. One of the scribes then came up and said to
him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have
holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to
lay his head.’ Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go
and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to
bury their dead.’
Food
for thought
Today's
gospel reading reminds us of the importance of the MOMENT. We have heard the
expression, Seize the moment! It means that when opportunity comes your way,
don't hesitate, grab it. This is what happened in today's gospel reading.
Two
men, one was seized by the moment, the other didn't seize the moment. The first
man was undoubtedly seized by the moment; the man was impressed by Jesus and
decided to follow Jesus whenever Jesus would go. This is not how Jesus recruits
his followers.
What
does it mean to be seized by the moment?
It
means not being able to look beyond, not seeing any further, not seeing the
future, not counting the cost. This is what Jesus is telling the first man:
"Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay his head." Jesus is saying to the man: Are you ready to
rough it? Are you ready for the challenges ahead? Have you counted the
cost?
Being
a prisoner of the present moment means to stagnate with what is happening to
you right now. It means not knowing that the present moment is just now, it is
not forever. What you're undergoing today, will end, will pass away. Be it good
or bad, be it suffering or joy or prosperity, it will come to an end. So, don't
get stuck with the present moment; don't be over excited with the NOW that you
forget the AFTER NOW; don't be over saddened by your current agony because all
problems end.
The
second man was the opposite. He had the rare opportunity of following Jesus,
and then he remembered his father. It is most likely that his father was not
yet dead, nor that he was near death. The man was saying in other words, I can
only follow you after my father's death, after fulfilling my family
obligations. Before that, I am not available. The man was saying, in other words,
you're important but not that more important than my father. As long as he
lives I cannot follow you. Wait until he dies.
In
life there're opportunities and things that come once in a lifetime. You
seize them or you lose them. That's how Jesus is. Don't let old plans get in
the way of new opportunities or luck. Open yourself to chance and don't let the
past hold you. Leave the dead die; leave the past pass; embrace the
opportunities out there; look for them, and try to take them.
Once
you seize the new opportunities, don't let them seize you. Don't let the
opportunities you have seized seize you, and prevent you from further
opportunities. Every opportunity should prepare you for new opportunities;
don't get stuck with your success.
See
what Jesus did in the gospel reading of today. When Jesus saw the great crowds
all gathering about him by the minute, he gave orders to leave for the other
side. He literally told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side
of the lake. At the very moment that everybody was hailing him, at the very
moment that he was making gains and success, Jesus left the scene and went across
the lake, away from everybody, away from old success and for new opportunities.
The
good moment to change course, is when all is good. The good moment to start a
new life is not when your life is falling apart; it is when all is going well
with you. Thank you Jesus for this lesson!
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