BURY THE DEAD (2)

THE COST OF FOLLOWING

Matthew 8:19–22niv ESV

And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:19–22 NIV

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

matthew 8:

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 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.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

matthew 8:

luke 9:57-62

RADICAL COMMITMENT

Jesus’ teaching that discipleship takes radical commitment

Luke introduced three people who wanted to join Jesus on His journey to Jerusalem.

Ø JESUS TURNS AWAY 3 MEN WHO WANTED TO BE DISCIPLES

Ø OUT OF CHARACTER FOR JESUS

Ø HE SAW THROUGH THEM

Ø WE SEE HIS PERCEPTIVENESS IN:

Ø ZACCHAEUS WAS LONELY

Ø LAST WEEK THE RICH YOUNG RULER WHO HAD MIXED UP PRIORITIES

Ø THE LAWYERS WOULD TRY TRIP HIM UP WITH LOADED QUESTIONS

Ø EACH ONE OF THESE WANTED TO PUT CERTAIN CONDITIONS ON HIS DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST ONE:

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.

Sounds good- Jesus knew the road ahead was going to just get tougher and that he was not ready for that

THE SECOND ONE

LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD

IF HIS DAD HAD DIED HE WOUKD NOT HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE STREET HE WOUKD BE TAKING CARE OF HIS FAMILY OBLIGATIONS

HIS FATHER COULD BE ALIVE FOR A WHILE YET AND HE DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO MISS OUT ON ANYTHING.

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.

THE THIRD MAN

WHEN HE SAYS LET ME FIRST GO AND SAY GOODBYE TO THOSE AT HOME.

: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 ( ). 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.

HE WAS NOT READY TO BREAK UP WITH HIS PAST LIFE

JESUS IS NOT. AGANST FAMILY LIFE RATHER ON THE CONTRARY HE RECOGNIZES THAT IT IS NOT THE MANS FAMILY THAT IS HOLDING HIM BACK BUT THEIR OWN HESITATION TO BREAK WITH HIS PAST

WHEN WE ARE BOUND BY THE OLD WE TOTALLY MISS OUT ON THE NEW.

1 Kings 19:19–21 ESV

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

1 Kings 19:19–21 NIV

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

1 kings 19:19-21 EXAMPLES OF WHAT A CLOAK MEANS AND CAN DO :

EXAMPLES OF WHAT A CLOAK MEANS AND CAN DO :

EXAMPLES OF WHAT A CLOAK MEANS AND CAN DO :

slide oxen

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?“

Genesis 41:42 NIV

Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

gen

2 Kings 2:8 NIV

Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

2 kings

2 Kings 2:14 NIV

He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

2 ings 2:14

The mantle was the symbol of Elijah’s prophetic authority. This was a dramatic symbol that said, “I call upon you to join in my work as a prophet.”

i. “The mantle, or pallium, was the peculiar garb of the prophet, as we may learn from ; and this was probably made of skin dressed with the hair on. See also .” (Clarke)

d. What have I done to you: This question “Could mean, ‘Go back, but remember what I have done to you.’ It might be a rebuke at any delay in following.” (Wiseman)

i. “Elijah’s reply indicates that he himself had not called Elisha; it was God’s call. Whether Elisha would follow that call was his own decision.” (Patterson and Austel)

ELIJAH PASSED ON THE MANTLE WHICH WAS A PRIESTLY GARMENT THAT CARRIED A BLESSING

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.

WHEN WE DECIDE TO FOLLOW JESUS WE ARE FOREVER CHANGED!

WE BURN THE YOKE AND SLAUGHTER THE OXEN

radical

COMMITMENT TO GOD MEANS LIVING DAILY IN A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE THAT IS NOT MEASURED OR CALCULATED.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

REAL GRATITUDE IS NOT DEPENDANT ON WHAT WE HAVE OR OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAD VERY LITTLE - YET MADE THE MOST IMPACT.

LUTHER WAS IN HIDING FOR HIS LIFE

FRANCIS OF ASSISI WAS VOLUNTARILY POOR

HELEN KELLER WAS DEAF AND BLIND

MOTHER THERESA LIVED IN A LEPER COLONY

I KNOW THERE ARE LISTS AND LISTS OF PEOPLE WHO CHOSE TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING OF EARTHLY VALUE TO WE MAKE A CHOICE TO WALK AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT WERE TAKING UP OUR ATTENTION. RADICAL COMMITMENT.

SURRENDER

THE WORD SURRENDER THROWS US - IT UNFORTUNATELY HAS A BIT OF A NEGATIVE TONE

MOSTLY IT IS MISTAKEN FOR:

WEAKNESS

DEFEAT

GIVING UP

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SURRENDERED WERE ANYTHING BUT WEAK.

THEY WERE:

COURAGEOUS

COURAGEIOUS

POWERFUL

OUTSPOKEN

IN SCRIPTURE SURRENDER MEANS:

OBEDIENCE TO GODS WILL

OBEDIENCE TO GODS WILL

COOPERATION WITH GOD’S PURPOSES

SUBMISSION TO GOD’S DIRECTION

COMMITMENT TO GOD’S CAUSE

IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE WORD SURRENDER THEN USE THE WORD

TRUST

THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT SPOKE OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IN NO OTHER WAY THAN THIS:

ROBERT E LEE WAS ASKED TO GIVE AN OPINION OF A CERTAIN MAN AND HE GAVE HIM A HIGH RECOMMENDATION. WHEN HE WAS ASKED IF HE KNEW WHAT THIS MAN HAD BEEN SAYING ABOUT HIM, HE REPLIED IN THIS MANNER.

YOU DID NOT ASK ME WHAT HE THOUGHT OF ME BUT RATHER WHAT I THOUGHT OF HIM AND HE IS A HIGHLY CAPABLE MAN THAT HAS MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

YOU SEE THAT IS THE WAY GOD LOOKS AT US, HIS OPINION OF US DOES NOT DEPEND ON IF WE LOVE HIM OR FOLLOW HIM.

JESUS WENT TOTHE CROSS WETHER PEOPLE BELIEVE IN HIM OR NOT.

WE BURN THE YOKE AND SLAUGHTER THE OXEN

SLIDE - RADICAL

COMMITMENT TO GOD MEANS LIVING DAILY IN A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE THAT IS NOT MEASURED OR CALCULATED.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

REAL GRATITUDE IS NOT DEPENDANT ON WHAT WE HAVE OR OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAD VERY LITTLE - YET MADE THE MOST IMPACT.

LUTHER WAS IN HIDING FOR HIS LIFE

FRANCIS OF ASSISI WAS VOLUNTARILY POOR

HELEN KELLER WAS DEAF AND BLIND

MOTHER THERESA LIVED IN A LEPER COLONY

I KNOW THERE ARE LISTS AND LISTS OF PEOPLE WHO CHOSE TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING OF EARTHLY VALUE TO