Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. That these words were addressed by a scribe to Jesus, it is safe to conclude that Jesus was doing quite well in his mission of proclaiming the kingdom. The scribes were among the religious elites who often got into conflict with Jesus, a fact that makes Jesus’ response to the scribe somehow surprising. A scribe would have been considered such a “big catch” and would have made Jesus’ movement more appealing to the other religious leaders who were yet to warm up to Jesus. At any rate, isn't following Jesus what Jesus really wanted of his hearers? Wasn’t it Jesus’ goal that those who heard his message would make a decision to follow him? Jesus’ response must have stunned not only the scribe but also those who were with him. 
Far from what it appears to be, Jesus was not dismissing the scribe. Whereas Jesus’ response could have portrayed him as being disinterested in the scribe’s offer to be his disciple, on the contrary, I believe he was laying for the scribe the conditions for following him. It was one thing to be Jesus' disciple from a distance, so to speak. But it was a totally different thing to be his follower (to accompany him “wherever” he would go). As a scribe, this interested fellow was used to a certain way of life such as going home every evening. Jesus did not have that privilege, as were all those who accompanied him. The likes of Peter and John had to let go of their boats and families. They had to let go of the places they had called home for so many years. They had to get used to spending their nights wherever dusk found them. Was the scribe ready for this? Was any of those in the crowd ready for such a lifestyle? 
Jesus response to the scribe was meant to elicit soul searching and discernment, not to discourage. Before the scribe could take the step of leaving everything behind in order to be with Jesus, he had to be pretty sure of what he was doing. For as Jesus would later say, only those who can resist the temptation to look back after putting their hands on the plough are deemed fit for the kingdom (cf. Luke 9:62).