Surrendering Our Lives to Him / Matthew 8:14-22

Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, and we thank You for that great love we have been singing about. Your Word tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, and that is how You demonstrate Your love. We love because You first loved us. Paul spoke about true power being the ability to comprehend the height, depth, length, and breadth of the love of Christ. Lord, we ask that we would walk in the love of Christ and in the power of Your love, so that we can speak the gospel, live the gospel, and be used as Your salt and light in this world.

Now, as we turn to Your Word, we ask that You open our eyes and hearts to what You want to speak to us. Father, I pray for myself, that You fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me, God, of the ways I have sinned against You even today, and sanctify us, Lord, by Your truth. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Rules of Following the Leader

Hello, church. My name is Josh, and I have the privilege of serving as the campus pastor over at our Fig Garden Campus. It is a blessing to be able to open God’s Word with you tonight. I am so glad to be here with you.

Do you remember playing the game Follow the Leader when you were a little kid? You remember how that game goes: you choose a leader, and wherever he goes, you have to go. Whatever he says to do, you have to do. If that leader jumps in rain puddles, you jump in rain puddles—even though you know mom and dad probably won’t be happy when you get home. If that leader is climbing over fences, you are climbing over fences. If he climbs up a tree and swings across the branches, you do the exact same thing. The entire point of Follow the Leader is that you surrender your decision-making power. You surrender your will to the leader, and whatever path he takes, you take that same path. If you refuse to take the path, you are out of the game.

As we continue in our series through the Gospel of Matthew, we find ourselves in chapter eight tonight. Going all the way back to the earliest part of Jesus’ ministry, we see that He is consistently calling people to follow Him. In fact, two words He uses frequently throughout the Gospels are simply: “Follow Me.”

You might remember when Pastor Brad kicked off this series and looked at the life of Matthew, the tax collector who wrote this Gospel, and how Jesus called Matthew to leave that old life behind and follow Him. Back in chapter four, Jesus came to the fishermen—Peter, Andrew, James, and John—and said, “Follow Me.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed Him.

This life of following Jesus calls us to a completely different way of living. Some of the people in Scripture left their livelihoods, their trades, and their families. From the outside, we might look at that and think, That is crazy. Why would someone do that? What is going on here?

At the very core of following Jesus is the issue of surrender.

Often, we talk about making commitments to Jesus. That is not a bad thing; it is good to make a commitment to Jesus. But the problem with making commitments is that we often place the onus on our own willpower. We set the conditions of that commitment, and over time, our resolve begins to wane.

For example, how many of you, either this year or in years past, made a New Year’s resolution with total commitment? You said, “I’m going to exercise more this year. I’m going to eat differently. I’m going to study this or that.” You were sincerely committed. Then, somewhere around mid-February, life happens and you think, Forget this.

Jesus does not call us to make commitments on our own terms. He calls us to a place of absolute surrender. Surrender means giving up our rights. Surrender means saying, “Whatever You want, Jesus. Wherever You want me to go, whatever You want me to do, whoever You want me to be, that is what I will do. I surrender my life to You.”

Jesus calls His disciples to surrender to Him and then, in that surrender, to depend on His power to live the life He has called us to live. He wants to bring us to a place where we can pray a prayer that might feel a little scary: Lord, I will go wherever You want me to go. I will do whatever You want me to do. I will become whoever You want me to become. We can pray that with confidence, knowing that what God wants for us will always be His best for us—it will be the very purpose for which He created us.

A Glimpse of the Coming Kingdom

Let’s turn to Matthew 8, beginning in verse 14.

When Jesus had come to Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and waited on Him. When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”

Matthew 8:14-17 (NASB)

When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. [This was] to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.’

Last week, Pastor Mike spoke about Jesus beginning these miracles in chapter eight. Here, Jesus continues to heal. There are several vital things happening in this passage.

First, these miracles confirm that Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, precisely as Isaiah prophesied. He is the Savior of the world, and these healings authenticate His identity.

Second, through these healings, Jesus is offering a foretaste of His future, coming kingdom. Think back to when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John. For just a moment, He pulled back the veil of His humanity, and the disciples caught a glimpse of His divine glory. They were utterly overwhelmed. In the same way, as Jesus heals all who come to Him here, He pulls back the veil to reveal His authority and power. He gives us a glimpse of the eternal kingdom where He will reign forever—a place where there is no more sickness, no more disease, no more death, and no more sin.

Disease and death entered our world through the fall in Genesis 3 as consequences of sin; they were never part of God’s original design for humanity. In these verses, Jesus gives us a window into the reality of a restored creation where pain and sorrow will be no more. He demonstrates absolute authority over all creation by healing not only physical ailments, but also delivering those who were demon-possessed. He holds absolute authority over Satan, over sickness, and over every spiritual power.

While God can and does heal today in response to prayer according to His sovereign will, ultimate and permanent physical healing is guaranteed at the resurrection in Christ’s future kingdom. Through His atoning work on the cross, when we put our faith in Jesus, we are forgiven of the eternal penalty of sin. It will never be held against us before God. Yet, in this present age, we still experience the fallenness of our world. We battle temptation, we face debilitating diseases, and unless Christ returns first, every one of us will face physical death. But in the kingdom to come, those realities will be completely eradicated. Jesus is providing a preview of that day.

Third, Jesus displays His profound, personal compassion. He is staying in Peter’s home in Capernaum, a place where He spent significant time, and He heals Peter’s mother-in-law. Scripture notes she was lying in bed with a fever. In the ancient world, without modern medicine, sickness was a constant and dangerous reality. People generally powered through minor illnesses out of necessity. I am certainly not a fan of the mindset that says, “I don’t call in sick, I crawl in sick”—if you are sick, please stay home so you don’t get the rest of us sick! But in that culture, to be bedridden meant she was suffering from a severe, potentially life-threatening fever.

Jesus touches her hand, the fever leaves her immediately, and without requiring any convalescence or recovery time, she gets right up and begins serving Him.

Notice the pattern Matthew is showing us. Last week, we saw Jesus heal a leper—a social outcast. Then He healed the servant of a Roman centurion—a Gentile outsider. Now He heals a woman, who held low social standing in ancient hierarchies. Matthew intentionally records Jesus ministering to three people whom society marginalized: the leper, the Gentile, and the woman. Here we see the heart of God for all people. Furthermore, this healing occurs privately inside a home, showing the personal, tender touch of Jesus’ compassion.

When evening arrives, crowds gather, and Jesus heals every person brought to Him. Matthew gives us insight into the heart driving these miracles just one chapter later.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36 (NASB)

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

His miracles demonstrate His identity as Messiah, preview His coming kingdom, and reveal His deep compassion for broken humanity.

The Surrender of Our Comfort

As the scene transitions in verse 18, we encounter two striking interactions about what it truly means to follow this King.

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Matthew 8:18-20 (NASB)

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side [of the sea]. Then a scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air [have] nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’

A scribe approaches Jesus and declares his allegiance: “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” This was a remarkable statement. Scribes were the scholarly elite, the most educated religious figures of Jewish society, closely aligned with the Pharisees. They were the ones typically addressed as “Teacher.” For a scribe to address Jesus as “Teacher” was an act of significant humility.

He sounds completely convinced. His declaration reminds us of Peter in Matthew 26, boldly insisting he would never deny Jesus, only to deny Him three times that very night. Perhaps this scribe witnessed the miracles, heard the profound teaching, recognized God’s power at work, and wanted to align himself with Jesus. Maybe he was hoping for a share of that influence, or perhaps he was simply caught up in the emotional momentum of the crowd.

While we cannot see his inner motives, Jesus sees his heart with complete clarity. Knowing what lies beneath the surface, Jesus challenges him to count the cost before jumping in blindly.

Years ago, when our oldest son, Noah, was just three years old, we went to a birthday party at a house with a swimming pool. The backyard was packed with dozens of people, music was playing, the barbecue was going, and the pool had no perimeter fence. Noah could swim a little bit, but only with floaties on his arms. Without those floaties, he could not stay afloat. Noah saw that pool, got excited, and jumped straight into the deep end without his floaties. He immediately surfaced, looked at me in sheer panic, and cried, “Dad, help!”

Now, I am not a graceful swimmer by any stretch of the imagination—I can survive in the water, and that is about it. But I jumped right into that pool with my wallet, my phone, and all my clothes on, and I pulled him to safety. I wish it had been one of those subtle moments where nobody noticed, but the music seemed to stop and the entire party turned and stared at us. I thought, Well, I definitely didn’t win Dad of the Year today, but at least I saved my son!

Noah jumped into something without realizing what he was getting into. Many of us have done the exact same thing in life. Jesus is essentially saying to the scribe, “Before you jump in and declare that you will follow Me wherever I go, let’s talk about what that actually means. It is not always going to be about miracles, crowds, and acclaim.”

Jesus makes it clear that personal comfort is not the priority in the kingdom of God. He says, “I don’t even have a place to lay My head.” Following Jesus involves hardship, disruption, and discomfort. The scribe wanted to follow Jesus on his own terms—excited about the benefits, but unprepared for the cost.

From this interaction, we see the first area Jesus calls us to surrender: a total surrender of our comfort.

When Jesus mentions having nowhere to lay His head, He is not issuing a literal command for every believer to become homeless. Remember where Jesus was just a few verses earlier: He was staying in Peter’s house. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly visits and stays in the homes of believers. Rather, He is using His own itinerant lifestyle to illustrate that discipleship involves discomfort.

We must recognize that everything we possess belongs to God. Following Jesus will require sacrifice, disruption, and at times, suffering. The scribe was effectively saying, “Jesus, as long as You keep me comfortable, keep the blessings flowing, and work according to my plans, I am all in.” Jesus responds by clarifying that kingdom discipleship does not operate on our terms.

Surrendering our comfort does not mean you must immediately trade your house for a tent, your car for a bicycle, or your tri-tip for Top Ramen. But it does mean acknowledging that God possesses absolute authority over your life. The ultimate purpose of our lives is not personal comfort. The purpose of following Jesus is to be conformed into the image of Christ, to love God and love others deeply, and to make disciples of all nations. Faithfulness to that mission will inevitably demand our comfort.

Consider the historical figure of Saint Patrick. While we enjoy the celebrations around Saint Patrick’s Day, the true story of his life is profound. Born in Roman Britain roughly fifteen hundred years ago, Patrick was kidnapped as a teenager by raiders, carried off to Ireland, and sold into slavery. For six brutal years, he labored as an enslaved herdsman. During that dark period, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.

After escaping and returning home, he pursued theological training and entered ministry. Years later, he sensed God calling him to return to Ireland—to preach the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him. In 432 AD, Patrick returned to Ireland with no malice or desire for revenge. He carried the gospel into violent, pagan territories where no missionary had ever gone. He saw thousands come to faith, planted churches, trained native leaders, and championed the dignity of women who were treated as property. Patrick wrote in his writings that he lived with the daily expectation of being murdered, betrayed, or re-enslaved, yet feared nothing because of the promises of heaven. Patrick surrendered his comfort and security because his Leader called him to go.

The Son of Man

Notice the title Jesus uses for Himself in verse 20: “the Son of Man.” This was Jesus’ favorite self-designation, used over eighty times in the Gospels. This title carries profound biblical significance.

First, it identifies Jesus with humanity. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is addressed as “son of man” over ninety times, emphasizing human frailty in contrast to the majesty of God. Through His incarnation, Jesus fully identifies with us.

Second, the title points directly to the divine, sovereign Ruler prophesied in Daniel 7.

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”

Daniel 7:13-14 (NASB)

’I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. ’And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and [men of every] language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

By taking the title “Son of Man,” Jesus reveals that He is both the humble servant who identifies with our weakness and the divine King who will reign forever over an indestructible kingdom.

The Surrender of Our Priorities

Matthew then presents a second interaction in verses 21 and 22.

Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:21-22 (NASB)

Another of the disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.’

That final line is certainly not one you often see printed on Christian t-shirts. At first glance, the man’s request sounds entirely reasonable: “Lord, let me go bury my father.”

To understand Jesus’ response, we have to understand the cultural context. In the ancient Near East, the phrase “let me first bury my father” was a common idiom. It meant, “Let me remain at home, manage the family business, care for my father until he eventually passes away years from now, secure my inheritance, and then I will be free to follow You.” If the man’s father had literally just died that day, the son would have already been at home preparing the body, because burials took place within hours of death.

This man was not asking for a brief delay for a funeral; he was saying, “I have financial interests and earthly obligations to settle first. Once my future security is locked down and life slows down, then I will follow You.”

Jesus is not dishonoring family obligations. Scripture consistently commands us to honor and care for our parents.

If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NASB)

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Even as Jesus hung on the cross, He ensured His mother Mary would be cared for by entrusting her to the Apostle John. Jesus is not anti-family. Rather, knowing this man’s heart, Jesus addresses the underlying hesitation to surrender.

This brings us to the second area of surrender: a total surrender of our priorities.

When Jesus says, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead,” He is speaking figuratively about the spiritually dead—those who do not know God. He is saying, “Let those who are spiritually dead attend to the temporary matters of this world. But as for you, your calling is to proclaim the kingdom of God and bring spiritual life to a dying world.”

Jesus recognized that if this man did not step out in faith at that very moment, he likely never would. The man wanted Jesus to be a future priority rather than a present Lord.

We prove that Jesus is our future priority only by making Him our priority today. The choices we make in the present determine who we are becoming. We often tell ourselves, “I’ll commit more deeply to the Lord when things settle down, when work slows down, or next year.” But tomorrow becomes next week, next week becomes next year, and years pass by without obedience.

It has been wisely said that we tend to exaggerate the past, overestimate the future, and underestimate the present. Procrastination produces nothing in the spiritual life. Taking a step of obedience today—even if it is just a single step into the unknown—is far better than delaying obedience indefinitely.

Following Jesus will never be completely convenient. We will always have responsibilities, to-do lists, and competing demands. If we wait for the perfect, convenient moment to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, we will never do it. The time to follow Him is now.

The Call to Total Surrender

When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” the Greek term means to walk the same path, to align with His direction, and to yield to His leadership. He sets the terms of discipleship.

Yet, Jesus does not call us to follow Him through our own sheer willpower. He gives us His very presence. When we place our trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. When Jesus calls you into uncomfortable places or difficult obedience, He does not send you alone—He walks with you, strengthening and empowering you by His Spirit.

Jesus modeled this surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane. Facing the agony of the cross, He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” He submitted completely to the Father’s plan to secure our redemption.

Tonight, Jesus asks each of us:

• Are you willing to follow Me, even if it makes your life uncomfortable?
• Are you willing to follow Me if it means letting go of luxuries, possessions, or personal ambitions?
• Will you follow Me if it means walking away from relationships that pull you away from God?
• Is Jesus enough for you?

Will we follow Jesus merely for what He can give us in this short, temporary life, or will we follow Him for who He is—the King who redeemed us for eternity?

Where is God calling you to surrender today? Is it your comfort, your schedule, your finances, your career plans, or your desire for control? Whatever it is, bring it to Him.

In total surrender, we find true life. We have the assurance that through Christ, we are declared righteous, forgiven, and adopted as sons and daughters of God. And until the day we experience the fullness of His kingdom, He calls us: “Follow Me.”

Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of coming into Your presence through Jesus. As we consider the challenging words Jesus spoke to these men, help us receive them as a loving invitation. You call us to walk with You, and You provide the power of Your Holy Spirit so that we do not walk alone. You have also placed us in community to encourage, challenge, and pray for one another.

Lord, remind our hearts that even when following You is uncomfortable, life with You is filled with far greater joy, purpose, and hope than anything this world offers. Give us the grace and courage to surrender our lives fully to You tonight and throughout this week. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.