I didn't understand last Sunday's Gospel reading

[patrick457]

I pretty much don’t understand any of this, lol. I don’t understand Jesus’ reply about not having anywhere to lay His head, to the man who said he’d follow Him. And I don’t understand why he talks about the dead burying their dead, when I would’ve thought it would be okay to at least bury a dead father before leaving, wouldn’t that be a part of the whole honor your father and mother? And I don’t understand why it’d be wrong to say goodbye to family when you’re going to set out. Is it so wrong to love your family and want them to know where you’re going?

What I CAN understand is the whole needing to follow Jesus whole-heartedly, and not be regretful or allow things to weigh you down, but…I don’t understand how that fits here, when we’re told to honor our parents, and if we have a good and loving relationship with them; how can that be bad? How would/should we follow Him then?

Thanks!
-Grey

Jesus really likes saying things in a provocative way in order to drive a point home. The whole point is, if you’re gonna follow Jesus, He should be above everyone and everything else - including one’s own parents, the ones whom we should honor according to the commandment. Isn’t He the same Guy who said, “Whoever does not hate father or mother is not worthy of me”? That doesn’t mean we should literally hate our parents, but it does mean that a commitment to Jesus is very demanding - He should have first place.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Jesus really likes saying things in a provocative way in order to drive a point home. The whole point is, if you’re gonna follow Jesus, He should be above everyone and everything else - including one’s own parents, the ones whom we should honor according to the commandment. Isn’t He the same Guy who said, “Whoever does not hate father or mother is not worthy of me”? That doesn’t mean we should literally hate our parents, but it does mean that a commitment to Jesus is very demanding - He should have first place.

Above the rotting corpse being left behind in the community to infect others with?
Why would Jesus ask such a terrible thing?

 

[patrick457]

Above the rotting corpse being left behind in the community to infect others with?
Why would Jesus ask such a terrible thing?

I think you’re missing the point. The whole point isn’t about whether the corpse will be buried or not. I mean in that day and age it’s not like the guy is the only family member the dead man’s got. (There wasn’t a concept of a nuclear family back then - I doubt the man was living with just his dad!) Besides, stuff like weddings and funerals were communal events - everyone in the neighborhood is involved. It’s about following Jesus - when He calls you, you drop whatever you’re doing, even if it’s as important as burying your father. The disciples in the gospels are portrayed as doing exactly that - leaving their jobs and their families as soon as Jesus summons them.

Jesus is asking for something radical and hard - harsh even - because in that culture the family (especially the eldest son) is responsible for the funeral of someone. (This is why Jesus’ burial was ‘shameful’: a total stranger - someone not related to Him by blood - had buried Him in a tomb that was not His family’s, with no fanfare - a proper wake, professional mourners and music players, etc. - whatsoever.) The man is at a risk of committing a social faux pas (especially in a culture that takes ‘honor’ and ‘shame’ seriously) but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no other family member who’ll bury the dead man or that the corpse will just be left lying around to rot (which IIRC was something that’s even forbidden in the Torah).

 

[StrawberryJam]

I think you’re missing the point. The whole point isn’t about whether the corpse will be buried or not. I mean in that day and age it’s not like the guy is the only family member the dead man’s got. (There wasn’t a concept of a nuclear family back then - I doubt the man was living with just his dad!) Besides, stuff like weddings and funerals were communal events - everyone in the neighborhood is involved. It’s about following Jesus - when He calls you, you drop whatever you’re doing, even if it’s as important as burying your father. The disciples in the gospels are portrayed as doing exactly that - leaving their jobs and their families as soon as Jesus summons them.

Jesus is asking for something radical and hard - harsh even - because in that culture the family (especially the eldest son) is responsible for the funeral of someone. (This is why Jesus’ burial was ‘shameful’: a total stranger - someone not related to Him by blood - had buried Him in a tomb that was not His family’s, with no fanfare - a proper wake, professional mourners and music players, etc. - whatsoever.) The man is at a risk of committing a social faux pas (especially in a culture that takes ‘honor’ and ‘shame’ seriously) but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no other family member who’ll bury the dead man or that the corpse will just be left lying around to rot (which IIRC was something that’s even forbidden in the Torah).

Where do you see or interpret in the reading that this man has family to help him to bury the rotting corpse? Jesus did not offer to help him bury the corpse if this is actually something we must do today?