Bury the Dead
THE COST OF FOLLOWING
Jesus’ teaching that discipleship takes radical commitment (9:57–62) (Matt. 8:19–22)
Luke introduced three people who wanted to join Jesus on His journey to Jerusalem.
9:57–58. A man approached and wanted to follow where they were going. Jesus’ response was that a person desiring to follow Him must give up what others consider necessities. Jesus had no home of His own nor did His followers. They were on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus would be put to death.
9:59–60. Jesus called the next man with the same words with which He had called His disciples (5:27). The man’s reply that he first wanted to go and bury his father has been variously interpreted. Some maintain that the man’s father was dead already. It would seem strange if that was the case for he would certainly have been engaged in the burial procedure already. It is more likely that the man’s father was ready to die. His request was to let him wait just a little while before following Jesus. Perhaps the man also wanted to receive the inheritance from his father’s estate. Jesus’ response, Let the dead bury their own dead, implies that the spiritually dead can bury the physically dead. The point was that proclaiming the kingdom of God was so important that it could not wait. Of course if the man had left and followed Jesus, it would have caused a scandal in the community. But that was less important than proclaiming the kingdom and following the Messiah. A disciple must make a radical commitment.
9:61–62. The third man simply wanted to go home and say good-by to his family. Elijah had allowed Elisha to do this very thing when Elisha was plowing (1 Kings 19:19–20). Jesus’ words underscore the fact that His message of the kingdom of God was more important than anything else—even family members. The message and the Messiah cannot wait. Jesus’ message was more important than Elijah’s message and demanded total allegiance. Jesus’ servants should not have divided interests, like a farmer who begins plowing and looks back. Since Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, the man had to make up his mind right then as to what he was going to do. Interestingly Luke did not record the outcome of any of Jesus’ conversations with the three men.
19:19–20. Elijah returned from the Sinai peninsula to find Elisha (whose name means “My God is salvation“) near his hometown of Abel Meholah (v. 16) in the Jordan Valley about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Kinnereth in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Elisha evidently came from a family that owned lots of land (as implied by the 12 yoke of oxen). He himself was plowing when Elijah found him. Throwing a prophet’s cloak around a person symbolized the passing of the power and authority of the office to that individual. That Elisha realized the meaning of this act is obvious from his reaction. Immediately he started to abandon his former occupation and follow Elijah. Elijah gave him permission to say farewell to his family. The unusual reply, What have I done to you? is an idiom meaning, “Do as you please” or “What have I done to stop you?“
19:21. Elisha sealed his decision by slaughtering his yoke of oxen and burning his plowing implements. He evidently hosted a farewell banquet, serving his sacrificed animals to his guests for supper. Then he set out to accompany Elijah as his attendant.
19:19–20. Elijah returned from the Sinai peninsula to find Elisha (whose name means “My God is salvation“) near his hometown of Abel Meholah (v. 16) in the Jordan Valley about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Kinnereth in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Elisha evidently came from a family that owned lots of land (as implied by the 12 yoke of oxen). He himself was plowing when Elijah found him. Throwing a prophet’s cloak around a person symbolized the passing of the power and authority of the office to that individual. That Elisha realized the meaning of this act is obvious from his reaction. Immediately he started to abandon his former occupation and follow Elijah. Elijah gave him permission to say farewell to his family. The unusual reply, What have I done to you? is an idiom meaning, “Do as you please” or “What have I done to stop you?“
19:21. Elisha sealed his decision by slaughtering his yoke of oxen and burning his plowing implements. He evidently hosted a farewell banquet, serving his sacrificed animals to his guests for supper. Then he set out to accompany Elijah as his attendant.