"Let the dead bury the dead" Help with this

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I was thinking about this recently, can someone point this passage out to me? I want to read it in context.

I’m referring to that guy that come up to Jesus and said he wanted to go with Him, and when he said ok, he asked for sometime to go back and bury his father, and Jesus told him, “let the bed bury the dead.” Basically telling him if you’re goin with Me the bus is leaving.

What exaclty did Jesus mean by this?
 
Hi,

Let the dead bury the dead----is in Matthew 8:21

From the Haydock commentary

Ver. 22. Let the dead bury their dead. The first words, let the dead, cannot mean those that were dead by a corporal death; and therefore must needs be understood of those who were spiritually dead in sin. (Witham) — Two similar answers are mentioned in Luke ix. 57, 60. Jesus Christ may have given the same answers on two different occasions. (Bible de Vence) — God will not suffer us to go and bury a deceased parent, when he calls us to other employments. (St. Chrysostom)

God Bless
Jeanne
 
JeanneH said:
Hi,

Let the dead bury the dead----is in Matthew 8:21

From the Haydock commentary

Ver. 22. Let the dead bury their dead. The first words, let the dead, cannot mean those that were dead by a corporal death; and therefore must needs be understood of those who were spiritually dead in sin. (Witham) — Two similar answers are mentioned in Luke ix. 57, 60. Jesus Christ may have given the same answers on two different occasions. (Bible de Vence) — God will not suffer us to go and bury a deceased parent, when he calls us to other employments. (St. Chrysostom)

God Bless
Jeanne
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It is also in Luke 9:57-62

Ver. 57. Follow thee, &c. Although the Sovereign Lord of all is most munificent, yet he does not lavish his gifts on all without distinction, but bestows them on the worthy only. When, therefore, this man offered to follow Christ, he answers him by telling him, that all who follow him, must daily take up their cross, and renounce the conveniences of this life. Thus he mentions what was reprehensible in his person. There appears likewise great presumption in his conduct, as he did not petition to be admitted, as other Jews did, but seems to claim the honour of the apostleship; an honour which none must assume, but such as are called by God. (Hebrews v.) (St. Cyril in St. Thomas Aquinas)

Ver. 60. Bury their dead, &c. Though this was an act of religion, yet it was not permitted him; that we may learn to prefer always the concerns of God to all human considerations. (St. Ambrose) — However necessary this might appear, however easy, however short the time which it would take up, might be, it is not permitted him. Not the least delay can be allowed, although a thousand impediments stand in the way; for spiritual things must be preferred to things even the most necessary. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxviii. on S. Matt.)

What I get out of it is don’t worry about the simple matters, when God calls you to follow him, leave everything to follow him and all the other stuff will be taken care by his grace
 
BamaRider said:
I was thinking about this recently, can someone point this passage out to me? I want to read it in context.

I’m referring to that guy that come up to Jesus and said he wanted to go with Him, and when he said ok, he asked for sometime to go back and bury his father, and Jesus told him, “let the bed bury the dead.” Basically telling him if you’re goin with Me the bus is leaving.

What exaclty did Jesus mean by this?
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The apostles dropped everything to follow Jesus. This person did not, he hesitated to give up the security of a place to stay. Commitment to Jesus must be first to be an apostle.

And Jesus wasn’t being harsh with the man and saying he must leave NOW without burying his father. If you read Matthew 8:16, you will see that that it was already evening, which means this man’s father was not dead yet. The Jewish tradition says he would have been buried before sundown. I hope that helps. 😃
 
Deacon_Joseph said:
If you read Matthew 8:16, you will see that that it was already evening, which means this man’s father was not dead yet. The Jewish tradition says he would have been buried before sundown. I hope that helps. 😃
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That’s what I was told, too: that the man wasn’t saying ‘let me go bury my deceased father’, he was asking to continue serving his living father-- in otherwords, disposing of ALL his wordly responsibilities-- before following Christ.

“Let me live my life undisturbed, and when everything else is taken care of, I’ll fulfill my obligation to you.”

I hope that this is the true meaning of the passage: makes it much easier to understand the tone of Christ’s response.
 
Bl. Anna Emmerich wrote a four volume set I believe it’s called “The Life and times of Jesus Christ and biblical revelations”.

In it she talked about the scene you describe in the Gospel. She said our Lord saw that what the youth ment by burying the dead meant handling his inheritance affairs with his father so he could completely separate. To settle everything financially (receive his share) so he could follow the Lord. I can’t quote it exactly but that was the gest of it. It used to puzzle me too. It seemed our Lord was very harsh. But it really makes sense in how Bl. Emmerich described it.

I recommend these books to everyone. 😉
 
Thanks for those links and the comments. It helped a great deal.
 
I think Sam Maloney and Deacon Joseph have nailed it - that is what I would have said.

Also, you have to understand that Hebrew is a very expressive language, much given to hyperbole.

As when our Lord says
“if any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (luke 14:26)
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No one believes that Our Lord wants us to hate our family - but Hebrew has a lack of comparative adjectives. He does mean we should love him more than these others.

Likewise, “Let the Dead bury the Dead” - classic Hebrew hyperbole.
 
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