Context Mat 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. (not an imperative)
Mat 8:19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Mat 8:20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Mat 8:21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” :
GREEK VERBS:
| 190 [e] Akolouthei Ἀκολούθει Follow V-PMA-2S |
| 1473 [e] moi μοι , me PPro-D1S |
| 2532 [e] kai καὶ and Conj |
| 863 [e] aphes ἄφες leave V-AMA-2S |
| 3588 [e] tous τοὺς the Art-AMP |
| 3498 [e] nekrous νεκροὺς dead Adj-AMP |
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Mat 8:18 … he gave orders to go over to the other side.
Command text.
REFLECTION
Jesus begins to avoid this crowd … commands the disciples to go with him. Why? Is this a change, a trend?
The mood of the crowd is symbolized by the two excuses as examples of “not ready to follow” – I’ll follow so you can take care of me (dependency) … I’ll follow once it is socially acceptable as my duties are fulfilled. In neither case is Jesus Lord nor is there a response to repentance.
RESOURCES
What are the commands of Jesus Christ which we need to obey? In disciple-making, Jesus commanded the following in Matthew 28:20: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” What are the commands that we are to follow and teach others as identified by Jesus’ use of the imperative mood in the Greek?
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