[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] Amazing facts devotion: WHY DID JESUS SAY “LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD”?

[Shelly Duffy]

WHY DID JESUS SAY “LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD”?
July 19, 2021 

Average reading time is about 5 minutes


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Christ was not indifferent to the pain people experience when loved ones pass away. Jesus once halted a funeral procession in Nain and raised a widow’s only son (Luke 7:11–15). He went out of His way to raise a ruler’s little girl who had died (Matthew 9:18–26). His heart was wrenched with grief over the death of Lazarus (John 11:35). 

The context of Luke 9 is the cost of following Christ. Here we find excuses made by people who did not have a deep commitment to Jesus. Luke 9:59 reveals one man’s response to Christ’s call of discipleship. From the wording of this passage, it seems apparent that the man’s father was not yet dead. “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” If the father had been dead, the son would have had no opportunity to accompany Christ and the disciples. In that hot country, with no embalming, bodies had to be buried immediately. The man was asking to postpone following the Lord until his father had passed away and been buried.

Christ’s answer exposed the man as a procrastinator. The same message is given to another man in verse 61, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” Notice the priority of both men: “Let me first…” Nothing must stand in the way of the call of Jesus. The issue in these verses is not about grieving the loss of our loved ones or saying a proper farewell to our guests. Jesus is exposing unnecessary excuses for putting off following Him. 

Christ said, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” In other words, those who are spiritually dead do not respond to the urgency of making a decision to follow Jesus. There are always “good reasons” for people to say, “Not now; I have more important matters to attend to.” 

Is anything more important than committing our lives to Christ? People who delay often forget or lose interest. It can cost them eternal life. 



KEY BIBLE TEXTS 
"Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:60


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Shelley Duffy