19: In this part of the passage, Jesus speaks with a couple of his followers. One, who happened to be a scribe, offered to go with Christ anywhere, thus becoming one of the more dedicated members of the group. Jesus, however, had evidently not called this man to such, and he did call his other close disciples to this level of devotion.
20: Though we do not know the result of this exchange, Jesus wanted this potential servant of his to understand the true nature of the ministry. Unlike what the scribe was used to, Jesus had no permanent dwelling or situation. He was not cared for and established, which would be expected by a scribe. It was an altogether different setup from what the scribe had experienced up to that point.
Jesus’ use of this simple illustration involving birds and foxes, though quaint, gets right to the point. Jesus was less likely to find a place to rest than would these wild animals. Jesus calls himself the ‘Son of man’, which the Jews, especially a scribe, should immediately recognize as a reference to himself as the Messiah.
Daily Bible Reading: Daniel 7:1-9:27
Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
Daily Tidbit: Dr. John Gill, a great scholar of the Word from days gone by, holds for us today an example of what not to do in the ministry. On the one hand, Gill’s understanding of the Scriptures is to be applauded and emulated. His commentary on the Bible has been helpful to me on many occasions. Yet, his ideas concerning election and the doctrinal confusions surrounding it kept him from being as influential for the gospel as he could have been. He could not, it seems, find it withing himself to call men to Christ. Though we may understand the source of his hold-up, we may not be held by it. Like Peter in Acts 3:19 we must call upon people to “Repent” and “be converted”.
Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, You are our Source of joy, peace, hope, love, mercy, and grace. These kindnesses are a great benefit and blessing to us. How can we ever thank You enough for just these, and yet You have even more. Your Truth, justice, holiness, patience, and faithfulness are also so wonderful. Oh Father, can we ever truly know just how good You are to us? As this day unfolds, we will see yet more examples of all of these things. We will, though the measure of them is constant, perceive a growth of all these blessings in connection with us. We understand You more every day, and yet wonder more each day how we will ever know all there is to know of You. An eternity in heaven is surely enough to know You completely, but as it stands, we feel sure that it will take all of eternity to begin to know You in all of Your glory. Give us, Father, in our lifetime enough a sense of You that we will never find time to think of anything else but Your great love and the attendant blessings of it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a family having a custody battle. Pray for an elderly woman with health issues. Pray for two young girls who are sick. Pray for a woman having trouble with her knee.
Personal Journal Entry #12259