Why does Matthew 8:18-22 not tell us how the scribe and the disciple reacted to Jesus’ command to follow him immediately?
Matthew 8:18–22 does not say how the scribe and the disciple reacted to Jesus’ radical commands because it focuses not on following, but on he who leads, whose death will make death a thing of the past. These accounts follow Matthew’s quotation from Isaiah. Since Jesus, the servant of the Lord, takes away illnesses, gives his life as a ransom for many, has no place and is not esteemed on earth (Isaiah 53:3,Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:20), but will lead many to life (Isaiah 53:10–12; Matthew 8:22)—the call to follow him is life-giving and of first importance, so we must put aside our doubts and excuses (1 Corinthians 10:9–10).
Matthew 8:18–22 is not in the first place about the disciples following Jesus, but rather about the advance of the Son of Man himself. Through his death, dying is reduced to a thing of the past. Matthew allows this story to immediately follow his quotation from Isaiah: Jesus, the servant of the Lord, takes away the illnesses; he is the one who gives his life as a ransom for many and who is not esteemed on earth; there is no place for him (Isaiah 53:3, Matthew 8:20) but he will lead many to life (Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 53:10–12; Matthew 8:22).1
Jesus wants to teach us that the call to follow him is often met by various objections as it often entails leaving everything behind (see 1 Corinthians 10:9–10). It is because this is the emphasis of the passage here that Matthew does not even bother recording the reactions of either of the two men.2
22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”