Two men came to Jesus wanting to follow him more closely. One was a scribe, the other one of his disciples from the greater circle of followers. To the scribe Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Mathew 8:20). In other words, if you follow me, you never know where you will end up.
The disciple asked permission to first go and bury his father. Jesus responded, “Follow me; and let the dead bury the dead” (Mathew 8:22). This at first sounds cruel until you realize that the man’s father was most likely still in good health. He was simply telling God that he wanted to wait to follow him until his parents died. Then he would follow Jesus.
As followers of God, we never know where God is going to lead us or when we will return to our home. Missionaries have been on the mission field when their loved ones died. God has chosen at times for his children to lose their homes.
Though following God leads to an unpredictable life, God remains faithful to us (Mathew 28:20).
