“RADICAL COMMITMENT”

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:59-60

“RADICAL COMMITMENT”

Nothing brings a family together the way death does. Our families would understand if we couldn’t attend a birthday party or a wedding, but they won’t be as forgiving if we missed a deceased loved one’s funeral. But when it comes to following Jesus or meeting the demands of your family and tradition, which should come first?

In this passage, three men approached Jesus, wanting to follow Him. But Jesus won’t let anyone tag along without first setting their expectations.

The second man expresses his desire to follow the Lord but wanted to go home to “bury” his father first. He was likely a firstborn male in the family, who had the responsibility of:

• burying his father
• being near his father to obtain an inheritance
• remaining near his father's body for up to one year to rebury the bones as the Jews used to practice during that time. 

Regardless of the specific reason, this man tells Jesus that though he wants to be a disciple, he has to be with his father first.

However, this doesn’t mean that the father is already dead. According to historians, the term “I must bury my father” was a familiar figure of speech, which means, “Let me wait until I receive my inheritance.” As it appears, he wouldn’t receive the inheritance if his father was already dead.

Is Jesus telling this man to ignore his father and follow Him instead? Doesn’t the Bible say we must honor our parents? Jesus’ point is not for the man to dishonor his father, but He tells him that proclaiming the Gospel is of utmost importance. Jesus is once again testing the commitment of someone who desires to be His disciple.

When Jesus said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead,” He was saying that the spiritually dead (unbelievers) could follow the traditions of physically burying the dead. At the same time, the spiritually alive (believers) should go and preach the Gospel. The word ‘dead’ was a figure of speech used to express indifference to something. In other words, Jesus is demanding absolute commitment from anyone who wants to follow Him.

Our God is jealous and wouldn’t compete with anyone in our hearts. Jesus is not telling us to dishonor parents or hate family and friends. But He does want us to be devoted to Him and His work. The Lord’s main goal is to seek and save the lost. But He is no longer here on earth, so it is now our job to proclaim the Gospel to the lost.

To follow Jesus means to deny ourselves and abandon our worldly pursuits. The clock is ticking, and people are dying every minute. We may not fully grasp the urgency of the matter, but this conversation between the Lord and this man implies that we should waste no time in telling the world that they have no means of going to heaven apart from Christ.

Discipleship isn’t for the double-minded or fainthearted; it is for the firm, decisive, and committed. Are you ready to make a radical commitment to Jesus Christ?

Pursue the Saviour today!