And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, allow me to go first and bury my father.
Here the Lord Himself calls a man to follow Him. The answer sounds reasonable — but one small word in it, "first," is what the Lord will not accept.
The two men in this passage move in opposite directions. The first offered himself and felt no obstacle; this one is called, and immediately the obstacles appear.
And He said to another, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Now here is real faith; and where this exists, it is more than a theory — difficulties are felt. So the man begins to make an excuse. On one side he feels the attraction of the word of Jesus. But at the same time he is not free from the force that drags him back into nature.
Everything in the man's answer turns on one word. He does not refuse. He reorders.
The word "first" — let me first go and bury my father — shows something put before Christ. It is as if the man said, "There is something I put ahead of Your calling." Death had come in, and this very plea told Christ that they were all under death. It was quite a right thing for the man to bury his father. But if life has come in, and the question is redemption — to be lost or saved — you must give yourself up to it.
The plea was not a weak one. It was the most basic of family obligations, and the law backed it.
This man pleads the very first of all human duties. What could seem not only reasonable, but so binding on him, as to go first and bury his father? Did not the law command the child to honour father and mother? Certainly; but One was there greater than the law. The God who gave the law was calling. If He says, "Follow Me," faith gives up everything — father, or mother, or wife, or children — for Christ's sake. Jews counted a man who did not bury his father with proper care and affection as unworthy of any place among them.
Elsewhere the Lord rebuked religious leaders for pushing family duty aside. Commentators see no contradiction here:
In the one case, He set the divine call above the claims of family duty. In the other He condemned the Pharisees, who set human tradition above family duty. That reversal had no adequate warrant. God established the responsibility of children to their parents, and God alone can set it aside.
The Lord's reply uses the word "dead" twice, and not in the same sense both times.
The Lord's answer to him is, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." That was a puzzling answer to a person whose heart was divided. This is how the Lord tests faith. He does not put things in the simplest possible form, above all where a person allows something that hinders. So He says, let those who are spiritually dead bury their natural dead — but you go and announce the kingdom of God. This man was not only called to follow Jesus, but to be a witness for Him.
The verse is not a licence to neglect parents. Commentators are careful to keep the balance:
The claims of natural relationship can be a serious hindrance to following the Lord with an undivided heart, but His claims come first. This does not contradict 1 Timothy 5:8, "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." A person can do the Lord's work and provide for his own house at the same time. But this man wanted to delay doing the Lord's work until he was completely free of any obligation to his father.
The excuse was defensible. That is why it is a warning.
There cannot be any "firsts" if we are disciples, because the Lord must be first. It was a perfectly legitimate thing to do — "let me first go and bury my father." We would all say, "Well, that man had a very good reason for going and doing this." But our lives will come under review. Then the Lord will decide what was right and what was wrong. He will decide it by how we lived in relation to Himself.
- The call comes first. The volunteer felt no difficulty. The man Christ called felt it at once — a sign his faith was real.
- "First" is the problem word. He never says no. He puts something ahead of the One calling, and that alone exposes his heart.
- The claim outranks the law. God commands children to honour father and mother. Only the God who gave that command can set it aside.
- The commission replaces the delay. Those who are spiritually dead can bury the natural dead. The one Christ calls goes and proclaims the kingdom.
- No "firsts" survive. Family still counts — 1 Timothy 5:8 stands. But no good duty excuses putting Christ second.
But Jesus said to him, Suffer the dead to bury their own dead, but do *thou* go and announce the kingdom of God.
Jesus calls a man to follow Him, and the man asks to bury his father first. The reply sounds harsh, and it raises two questions: who are the "dead" here, and why must a funeral wait?
The man's request was no weak excuse. Burying a father was the plainest duty a son could have.
The flesh is so bold in its offers to go after Jesus, but in reality it is slow to follow when He calls. This man, though called, feels the difficulties at once, and says, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." You find this in true believers. When a person has Christianity before his mind as a theory, all seems easy. He thinks he can do anything. Usually, where the faith is genuine, a person feels the difficulties; and this man pleads the very first of all human duties. What could seem more reasonable, or more binding on him, than to go first and bury his father? Did not the law command the child to honour father and mother? To be sure; but One was there greater than the law.
The Lord's reply tests the man, and it turns on one word. He uses "dead" twice, with two different meanings.
This was a test. Christ knew everything, and He called this man at that exact moment for a reason: was Christ worth more to his soul than anyone or anything else in the world? The Lord's answer to him is a puzzling one to a person who was not single-minded. This is how the Lord tests faith… So He says here, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead" — that is, let those who are spiritually dead bury their natural dead. It was not only that this man was called to follow Jesus, but to be a witness for Him, to be a proclaimer of God's kingdom.
The two deaths differ, yet the Lord's word ties them together.
Here it was only a dead father needing to be buried. The living disciple, the messenger of life, was not to be kept in the region of death, away from delivering his gracious message. Let the dead attend to death, is the Lord's word. The two deaths spoken of here are not the same, yet there is a simple and clear connection between them.
People misuse this verse. It does not excuse anyone from caring for his family. The fault here was the delay.
The Lord's words, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead" (v.60), show that those who have no spiritual life can occupy themselves with natural matters only. But when the Lord calls someone to preach the kingdom of God, he is to obey. The Lord allows no excuse. This does not contradict 1 Timothy 5:8: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." One can do the Lord's work and provide for his own house at the same time. But this man wanted to put off the Lord's work until he was free of every obligation to his father.
Another writer puts it from the other side.
This does not mean that we are to give up natural relationships. God formed them. We are to bring the grace of Christ into them. But we must not let them hinder us in the path of God's will.
Jesus does not only turn the man down. He sends him out, and the errand carries its own dignity.
The sense of the dignity of His ministry was strong in Him. He answers, "One fellow creature may do the service of the dying for the dying. But you go and do the work of a living Saviour in the world."… "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God" — go and do My business, the business of life, and not of death, in a world struck by sin.
The urgency behind the command comes from Christ Himself.
Meanwhile, for this very reason, the preaching of the kingdom was the only thing His unwearying love could do. The dead (to God) might bury the dead. The man who was called, who was alive, must be taken up with one thing — the kingdom — to bear witness to it. And that without looking back, the urgency of the matter lifting him above all other thoughts.
- Called — Christ called this man Himself. The call came as a test: was Christ worth more to him than anyone else?
- Claimed — his excuse was the most respectable duty a son could have. But One greater than the law was speaking.
- Clarified — "the dead" who bury the dead are the spiritually dead. Those without divine life can attend to the affairs of death.
- Commissioned — the man is not left with a refusal but with an errand: the business of life, not of death. A messenger of life does not stay among the graves.
- Concentrated — the kingdom asks for one occupation, without looking back. That never cancels caring for your own family. It only refuses delay.
And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord, but first allow me to bid adieu to those at my house.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.