The crowd gathered around Jesus after He healed many. He gave orders to retreat to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came up to Him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go" (Matthew 8.19). Jesus responded this emotional respond with a rational statement, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Matthew 8.20). Jesus was saying, "To follow Me is to enter into non-place. Another unnamed guy said, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father. To this irrational respond, Jesus gave an irrational and emotional command, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead (Matthew 8.22). Jesus' unpredictable response is very interesting isn't it? Jesus was showing the unpredictable circumstances that His followers need to go through. It is like going into the uncharted waters.
Becoming His followers is to follow His way. Jesus is the Way God reaches human beings and He is also the Way human beings come to God. To follow Him is to be in “non-place” and being in “non-place” is the way to eternity. “No-place” is the inter-link (to be inter-connected) to God who is omnipresence. To be in “non-place” means to live at present and to go beyond. To follow Him is to embark on the journey into the uncharted waters. Readiness to face uncertainties is expected from His followers. To be ready is to be "spiritually awake". Although the disciples were awake on boat however, they were actually asleep. Whilst 'the sleeping Jesus" was awake although He was physically asleep. Journeying into the uncharted waters require a state of being awake expecting the unexpected and to be ready for uncertainties. The journey is filled with unpredictable circumstances. God may seem to be asleep during our time of turmoil and hardship. "The Sleeping jesus" is a great reminder of our "zombieness" - being physically awake yet spiritually asleep. To be spiritual is to be able to sleep in the storms meaning facing difficulties in the state of peaceful tranquility.
