Let the Dead Bury the Dead
Now Think On This
Steve Martin
“Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead;
you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!”
(Luke 9:60-61 Complete Jewish Bible)
For years I had thought this was a rather harsh
response Jesus (Yeshua) gave to the one who said he wanted to follow Him and be
His disciple. Jesus didn’t say, “Great! Just come along, do what you want when
you want, and I will be sure to accommodate how you live so it won’t cramp your
style.” It even seems in some circles that our response nowadays would be, “Wow!
Someone who wants to be a Christian! Let’s not make it too hard on them so they
won’t start the walk and then later quit. We need all the ones we can get.”
No, Jesus gave the man the one choice he had. Follow
Him by letting go of his current life, and live the one I (Jesus) would direct him
in. My way is the only way.
Jesus clearly told the one the way it would be, as
Luke recounted for us in this historical report.
“As they were going along the road, someone said to
Him, "I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him,
"The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
His head." And He said to another,
" Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury
my father." But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own
dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God."
Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord;
but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." But Jesus said to
him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62 NASU)
I like how The Message words it in a similar, but
unique way.
“On the road someone asked if he could go along.
"I'll go with you, wherever," he said. Jesus was curt: "Are you
ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." Jesus
said to another, "Follow me." He said, "Certainly, but first
excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my
father's funeral." Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business
is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!"
Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you,
Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home." Jesus
said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom
off till tomorrow. Seize the day." (Luke 9:57-62 THE MESSAGE)
(Just one minor side thought to point out before
moving on. Jesus said, “We're not staying in the best inns, you know." I
wonder how many leaders in the church today would still follow Jesus if they
lived as He did? Or walked as He walked? I am sure the numbers would be reduced
if such were the case. Maybe they missed it somewhere? And what example are
they giving to those who follow them? It doesn’t appear to be Yeshua’s.)
So my thoughts on this now, to let the dead bury the
dead?
I think it is time that we quit sugar-coating the
Gospel message, trying to make it fit in today’s world, so as not to put too
much inconvenience on those needing to hear the Gospel, and repent from living
the sinful life. Jesus didn’t make it a convenient choice to become His
disciple. He spoke right up front to let them know, “This will change your
life. What you did yesterday you will no longer do today. The life you led
then, it needs to be gone. Repent, take up your cross and follow Me.”
Maybe it is time we quit making our Sunday morning a
nice place to bring people to, hoping they will receive a “helpful message so
you can get saved today”, but rather use it as the time to really train
Christians to get out into the world to take the Gospel to the dying. For as
you may have already realized, they aren’t coming to us. We have to go to them.
And when we do, we need to tell it the way it is to be.
Let the truth be known. You want to follow Jesus? It
will cost you everything you have. You can’t have it both ways – to continue
living the way you have been six days a week and then “be the Christian” one
hour on Sunday. Jesus is requiring a complete lifestyle change. He calls it “repentance”.
We should too.
Rather then offering a Gospel that allows one to
keep doing that which was leading to death anyway, it is time we offered the “radical”
Gospel that Jesus did. To all those He came in contact with, He said come,
repent, and He would then give eternal
life in exchange. There cannot be any other way. There has to be a life change
through repentance.
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASU)
He also made it clear that if there was no
repentance, there would be no salvation. They would perish in their sin.
“There were present at that season some who told Him
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And
Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I
tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam
fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other
men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you,
no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-5 NKJV)
We are called as believers to demonstrate the
Kingdom of God in the world around us, by living a life of repentance. We have
been called to leave the old life behind, and walk in the new one that Jesus
gives us as we do so. And then, the Gospel message is to tell others to do the
same. Repent, believe, and follow Jesus. And in that following, they won’t be doing the same thing they were doing, with just a slight change. They will be
letting go of the old in order to receive the new.
They too will be leaving the dead to bury their own
dead. They too will no longer be participating with the things in life that are
here today and gone tomorrow. They too will be living the way of the cross, which
will eternally bring life.
Just like you and I should be doing ourselves.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.
P.S. I would be
most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and
friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below.
Thanks! Steve
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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 02.14.16 -
#243 –“Let the Dead Bury the Dead” – Sunday at 5:15 am
All previous editions of Now Think On This can
be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this
encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social
media icons below. Thanks! Steve
