Follow Me
Luke 9:59-60 ESV
“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.”

This man may have wanted to fulfill the oldest son’s duty to bury the father, or to be near the father in order to obtain an inheritance. This request would have involved putting tradition or the disciple’s own desires ahead of serving the Lord.

The Jews used the word dead often to express indifference toward a thing or to express that something has no influence over us. To be dead to the law, to be dead to sin, means that the law and sin have no influence or control over us.

Jesus said let the dead bury the dead, possibly this meant let those who are spiritually dead take care of their own. For the man who wanted to bury his father, it was more important for him to fulfill his duties as a son, than it was for him to forsake all to follow Jesus.

Jesus knows our hearts above the words that we speak. So, Jesus chose to require of the man a very extraordinary sacrifice to show his sincerity to the call. If we have anything, that gets in the way of service to the Lord, we may not be able to forsake all and follow Him.

Prayer,
Search me O Lord, and know my heart today, try me O Savior, know my thoughts I pray. See if there be some wicked (things that keep me from serving you wholeheartedly) way in me.