He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:59-60
This scripture from Luke tells the a story of a man (whose name remains unknown) whom Jesus called to follow Him. Thinking of his father, the man asked Jesus if He could wait until his father was buried. Jesus responded in a seemingly harsh way, saying, “let the dead bury their own dead.” Does God really call us to neglect dying or dead family members to get to work? Is this the true cost of following Jesus? Chances are, we’ve misunderstood this scripture if we say “yes.”
One thing we must remember is that the Bible did not happen in Manhattan, New York in the late 2000s. The culture was completely different, and it’s important to know this. In Jewish tradition, people with dying or dead family members would not be outdoors following crowds. So this man’s father was probably far from dying, and was most likely not even dead.
Was the man asking for time to take care of a dead or dying father? No, he was asking for time to procrastinate before He would fulfil the purpose God has for that man’s life — to proclaim the Gospel. The Bible doesn’t say if the man obeyed after that, but here are a few lessons we can learn from the experience on what the true cost of following Jesus is.
Conviction over convenience
Sometimes when God calls us just like this man, we ask God for time to enjoy our youth, make more money or learn just a little bit more because “you’re not ready.” When Jesus calls us to follow Him, it’s because He knows it’s time and he knows you’re ready. Sometimes the biggest hurdle to conviction is not our qualification but our convenience.
Relationship over responsibility
Jesus was not just calling this man to a job offer. He was calling the man to a relationship with Him, but apparently it wasn’t as important as the man’s relationship to His earthly dad. God isn’t calling you because He needs you to push some papers or get some chores done. He calls you in because He wants you to know Him more and to grow in His love and grace.
Surrender over servitude
When God calls us, he isn’t calling us to be servants only, but to be sons and daughters fully surrendered to Him. As that happens, He takes care of all our affairs for us, including our family. When it’s God’s will, it’s His bill. God asks that we seek His kingdom, His lordship and His plans first and then He will add everything else unto us.
The greatest cost of following Christ is not our relationships, our finances nor our jobs. The real cost is ourselves, dying for our own plans and desires, so that we may be in line with what God wants for us.
