Luke 9:59… Jesus said, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Say what!!?? In the gospel accounts Jesus said some things that are just hard to understand. He said things that seem out of character for the savior of the world to say to mere humans. For example the time he called a gentile woman a dog!! I mean seriously Jesus, back it down a notch brother…she's just a lady reaching out to you for help! Even though he made statements that seem unloving or unforgiving or just plain harsh and mean, once we take time to understand the context and his message we find his words are always filled with love and grace. He had specific reasons for saying things the way he said them; his reasons are always right!

The words from Luke 9…leave the dead to bury their own dead can be one of those confusing quotes. It seems like the guy's father just passed away and he just wants to go to the funeral. Jesus I need to run down and take a couple days to bury my father then I'll be back in a week or so to carry on the preaching mission of the kingdom. Jesus basically says no you can't have the time off I need you to keep working. Somebody in your family will take care of it you just keep working! Come on Jesus the guy just wants to bury his dad; are you that insensitive?

Understanding First Century Burial Practices

Before we judge Jesus' words let's back up and understand the context, then maybe we can catch what Jesus means when he says let the dead bury the dead. First off let's understand the burial practices of the first century Jewish culture. Typically in a 1st century Jewish family when someone died initially the body was laid to rest in a rock-hewn tomb often within a family burial cave. If they weren't wealthy enough to have a family tomb they would bury the body in the ground. Then, usually somewhere around the 1st year anniversary of the person's death, after the flesh had decayed, the bones were reverently collected and placed in a limestone container called an ossuary. This tradition is recorded in the Talmud writing of the Jewish faith.

The ossuary box would be roughly 2 feet or so wide x 2-1/2 feet tall x 3 feet long; usually made from limestone with a lid that would fit tight on the top. The person's name would be chiseled into the outside of the box. There is a quiet dignity with these "bone boxes". The ritual of gathering the bones and reverently placing them in an ossuary speaks highly of the Jewish reverence for the dead body long after death. In the Jewish world, if a person had the ability to place their loved ones in an ossuary box, the deceased would not have been considered buried until the bone transfer had taken place and the ossuary was in its final location. When my wife and I were in Israel we saw some of these ossuary boxes.

Jesus' contemporary audience lived in a funerary culture. Monuments and memorials dotted the hills outside Jerusalem just as they do in modern Jerusalem cemeteries today. Jesus speaks of this culture when he condemns the Pharisees by calling them whitewashed tombs. Metaphorically he spoke directly to their feigned adherence to God's law. You work very hard at all the ceremony and ritual keeping the tombs washed and painted white on the outside. In the same way, you pretend to serve God through all your own rites, rituals, and works. But inside, the tomb is filled with corruption and stench, in the same way your hearts are corrupt and fowl smelling before God.

The Real Meaning Behind Jesus' Words

The man said to Jesus let me go bury my father, he was referencing this year long process. His father may not have even died yet for that matter. He was asking to continue in the religious piety and ritual-keeping culture of the Jewish faith until he was ready to follow Jesus. When Jesus said let the dead bury their dead you go preach the kingdom message he wasn't being insensitive nor was he trying to disparage the idea of caring for your loved ones or burying your family members or anything like that! No, this was a direct confrontation with Jewish societal and religious piety and customs. Throughout the Gospels Jesus was very consistent in stating that proclaiming the Gospel message trumps all ritual and religious expression.

Jesus' startling statement aligns with a broader pattern in his ministry as he consistently stated that nothing, not even deeply held social customs could supersede the call of the kingdom. He attacked the whitewashed tombs of false religion pretending to be faith in God. Jesus' words cut through all sentiments and traditions.

His words remind us that following him demands everything even at the cost of sacred rituals, cultural comforts and expectations of self-righteousness. Jesus' words here make sense when viewed through the lens of Jewish burial customs and the false religious ceremony and ritual that came with it! This man wanted to be a Jew first then a follower of Jesus. But now through the voice of the risen Christ there's testimony that even death must bow before the kingdom of God.

Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead"! He wasn't saying you can't go bury your father. He was saying the day has come to let go of all the law-keeping ways, Jewish religious ways, human effort ways you've lived in trying to get to God. I'm here now, I'm doing a new thing! You need to follow me. The old religious order is passing away. Let those who follow that old order, who refuse to believe in me, deal with the death and burial of a system that cannot save. You step into the freedom of this New Way, this New Life, this New Mission.

A Message for Today

At first when Jesus said let the dead bury the dead, we can be confused about what he is saying. We might just read right past and dismiss it! We don't get it so we just ignore it! But Jesus was saying the law is now fulfilled in me, I'm doing a new thing. In another place he said you can't put new wine in old wine skins…let the dead bury the dead! When Jesus died the law died with him. When he rose from the dead a new hope, a new faith way, a new path was forged to God.

For us today it's important to remember Jesus is the only way to God, none of our rules, our works, our beliefs, our preferences have any impact on what Jesus has done. It's easy for us sometimes to add our own ideas, rules, judgements and plans to our salvation relationship with Jesus in order to "guarantee" our salvation. Today ask yourself; what am I adding to the Gospel to attempt to secure my way to God?

Let's let the dead bury the dead and invest our time in preaching the Gospel!!