Matthew 8:19

19 Then a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, I will follow you any place you go."

Matthew 8:19 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 8:19

And a certain Scribe came
"As they went in the way", ( Luke 9:57 ) to go to the sea side, in order to take shipping, and pass to the other shore;

and said unto him, Master, or Rabbi, I will follow thee
whithersoever thou goest.
One would have thought, that this man desired in good earnest to be a disciple of Christ, were it not for Christ's answer to him, who knew his heart: from whence it appears, that he, seeing the miracles which Christ wrought, and observing the fame of him among the people, began to think that he would be generally received as the Messiah; and by joining himself to him, promised himself much ease, honour, and wealth. These seem to be the motives, which prevailed upon him to take so sudden and hasty a step; for he did not wait to be called to follow Christ, as the other disciples were, but offers himself to be one; that is, to be one of his intimates, one of his apostles; and besides, he rashly promises to do that, which he knew nothing of, and which in some cases is impossible to be done.

Matthew 8:19 In-Context

17 He did these things to bring about what Isaiah the prophet had said: "He took our suffering on him and carried our diseases."

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake.

19 Then a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, I will follow you any place you go."

20 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes to live in, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head."

21 Another man, one of Jesus' followers, said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."