Saturday 28th June
Read Luke 9:59-60
“He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’
But he replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’
60 Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” (NIVUK)
Sixth lesson: following Jesus may require foregoing common customs.
There is little unreasonable in the man’s response to Jesus’ call to follow Him. It is unlikely that the father has just died otherwise the man would already be performing his duties. He is likely near death and the custom in Israel, like many places, is that you do not leave the dead unburied. His response is simply that following Jesus can’t be the most urgent priority in the face of these responsibilities.
Jesus however holds a different view. Following Him is the highest priority. When you have been called by Jesus to proclaim His kingdom there is nothing more important. Leon Morris observes that what Jesus is likely saying is that the spiritually dead can deal with the physically dead, those who follow Jesus have higher priorities.
Jesus’ intention is not that those who follow Him abandon common customs. These are part of creation after all. The intention is to emphasise that when choices do need to be made, postponing them until a time that suits you better is not an acceptable response. Jesus’ claims upon our lives are either real and must be responded to or they are optional. They can’t be both.
