The Tale of Two 'Would-Be' Disciples

If Matthew's Gospel were a symphony, today's passage would be in an interlude. Matthew has revealed three miracles back to back, and now he provides a short break from the action because, after this break, Jesus provides three more miracles before the next interlude. And it's within this interlude that Matthew gives us a short synopsis of two conversations that Jesus had with two men who want to be Disciples. Both men said they would follow Jesus—so how does Jesus respond? Probably not like the way we would—Jesus says, thanks but no thanks. There's a lot to this little story—and it has much to teach us about our own faith than we might guess. How so? Let’s find out!