Matthew 8:23

Wednesday, 19 March 2025   Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. Matthew 8:23   “And He, having in-stepped into the boat, His disciples, they followed Him” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus instructed the hesitant disciple to follow Him and let the dead bury their own dead. With that, the journey the scribe (verse 19) wanted to join and the disciple (verse 21) wanted to be excused from begins with the words, “And He, having in-stepped into the boat.”   A new word, embainó, is found here. It is a compound word coming from en, in, and basis, a step. By implication, it refers to a foot, such as in Acts 3:7 –   “And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”   Translating this as in-step is a direct and literal translation, even if it is a bit clunky. Being a ship, a normal English translation would be that “He boarded the ship.” As for His in-stepping, it next says that “His disciples, they followed Him.”   Notice that it says nothing of the disciple of the previous verses having turned back or remained on the shore. It would be an argument from silence to say this didn’t happen, but it is of note that any such detail is left out. Rather, we are left to hopefully assume the best, thinking he got on board with Jesus, both literally and figuratively.   Life application: Jesus, the Lord God incarnate, has come. He faithfully completed every task set before Him by the Father. He tirelessly spent His time – days, months, and years – pursuing the will of God and expending Himself for the joy that lay ahead after His fulfillment of the Law of Moses.   This fulfillment, however, included the torturous events leading Him to the cross as well as the cross itself. And yet, knowing that lay ahead, He continued on. As it says in Luke –   “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”   From the beginning of His ministry to the very last moments of His life ebbing away on the cross, Jesus sought the will of His Father. He has set the example for His followers. Each interaction with one of His disciples or apostles is recorded to give us information that we can use to come to our own decision concerning following Jesus.   Will we get on board with Jesus’ agenda of spreading the gospel to the world. Or will we spend our time, money, and abilities satisfying ourselves? This doesn’t mean we cannot tend to ourselves, live comfortable lives, and enjoy the many blessings of life in His presence. But is our time first and foremost spent with the main focus of pleasing Him?   Are we contemplating Him and considering how we can better ourselves as Christians while being willing to learn His word and get it out to others? Is “I’m going to church every Sunday” enough for you? Or are you living out a Christ-centered life throughout the week?   Consider this, and be willing to include Jesus in everything you do. Be like Him in that you are seeking the will of the Father at all times. May it be so.   Lord God, there is no better way of spending our days than getting closer to You in our minds and actions. Jesus sought Your will at all times. May we be willing to emulate Him, abandoning that which is of no eternal use and focusing our souls on pursuing that which is eternal. May it be so to Your glory. Amen.