LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD / MATTHEW 8:22

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Matthew 8:22

But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

The Radical Cost of Following Jesus: Understanding Matthew 8:22

We often look to the Gospels for comfort, searching for words that soothe our worries and calm our fears. But every so often, we encounter a statement from Jesus that stops us completely in our tracks. One of the sharpest examples is found in Matthew 8:22, where Jesus delivers a command that sounds incredibly harsh at first glance: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead”.

What did Jesus mean by this? Was He truly telling a grieving son to abandon his father’s funeral?

When we look closer at the context, we find a profound lesson about the true cost of discipleship, the urgency of the Kingdom, and what it really means to put God first.

The Trap of “But First…”

To understand Jesus’ response, we have to look at the verse right before it. A disciple comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father”.

In the ancient Near East, honoring one’s parents was a sacred duty, and taking care of their burial was a top priority. However, biblical scholars suggest that the disciple’s father likely hadn’t just passed away. If the father were already dead, the son would have been at home preparing the body, not out traveling and listening to Jesus.

Instead, the disciple was likely saying, “Let me wait until my elderly father passes away years from now, and then I will be ready to follow you.”

It was a request for a postponement. It was the classic human trap of saying, “Jesus, I want to follow You… but first…”

Spiritually Dead vs. Physically Dead

Jesus responds with a brilliant play on words: “Let the dead bury their own dead”.

Essentially, Christ’s saying means, “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.” Jesus was pointing out that the world is full of people who are spiritually asleep—people who are fully capable of handling worldly obligations, traditions, and social expectations.

But the call to the Kingdom of God is a call to life. Jesus knew that His time on earth was short, and His ministry demanded full attention and commitment. He was telling the disciple that the urgent work of spreading the Gospel cannot be put on hold for comfort or convenience.

The Extreme Demands of Discipleship

This encounter is a stark example of the extreme demands and sacrifices required of those who follow Christ. Jesus wasn’t anti-family; rather, He was drawing a line in the sand regarding our priorities.

When we give Jesus our “but first,” we are ultimately keeping ourselves in the driver’s seat. Jesus challenges us to consider: What are the things in our lives that we are putting ahead of obedience to God? Is it financial security? Social approval? Comfort?

Following Jesus requires wholehearted dedication. It means that when He calls, the time to move is now.

A Closing Prayer for Ultimate Commitment

Heavenly Father,

We come before You acknowledging that Your ways are higher than our ways, and Your call on our lives is absolute. Forgive us for the times we have offered You excuses, and the moments we have said, “I will follow You, but first…”

Give us the courage to let go of the things holding us back. Help us to trust You with our families, our futures, and our responsibilities, knowing that You care for them far better than we ever could. Awaken our hearts to the urgency of Your Kingdom. Give us the grace to choose spiritual life every single day, and the strength to give You our full, undivided commitment.

May our lives reflect the radical love and radical devotion that You deserve.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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