dead burying the dead?

[LeoSalinas22]

hello fellow posters!

this is one of my most favorite scriptures:

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

the reason for this thread is because i wanted to hear the different views that one has in regards to this quote. for instance, what do you think He meant? was He being cold hearted? and what would you do if He told you to do the same thing if it was one of your family members? thanks for putting up with me, guys. hope to hear from you all soon and God bless you all...

[pattimax]

Don't drag dead things (animal, vegetable, or mineral) around with you. Focus on Christ. Unbelievers don't have eternal life. Hence, they are dead.

[InLove]

Originally Posted by LeoSalinas22

hello fellow posters!

this is one of my most favorite scriptures:

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

the reason for this thread is because i wanted to hear the different views that one has in regards to this quote. for instance, what do you think He meant? was He being cold hearted? and what would you do if He told you to do the same thing if it was one of your family members? thanks for putting up with me, guys. hope to hear from you all soon and God bless you all...

Here's what I think, Leo. I think that Jesus's mission on earth was not very long. According to Gospel accounts, He described Himself as "the way, the truth, and the life". He wanted the disciple He was addressing to follow Him, because He was about to reveal life (both spiritual and physical) in the midst of death. He was asking for a radical commitment from His followers. There were others that most likely opposed the mission and this man's participation thereof, but who could take care of the burial of his father with dignity. There were provisions in the local tradition for this, but the disciple was being torn by his sense of duty. It may have seemed cruel, what Jesus said, but I think He was offering the man an opportunity to understand that the grave is not where it all ends. To us today, I think it means to focus on life, not death.

InPeace,
InLove

[Tao_Equus]

My take is that it means one should not hold onto conservative ideas simply because they have been the staple for a long time. Change is inevitable and we should be ready to embrace it so that we might fully realise our potential to shape it. Specifically he was saying its time to stop listening to conservative voices. Jesus was after all a forward looking reactionary.

Call me a Zebra if you like, but thats my 2c

[pattimax]

...

[pattimax]

Originally Posted by InLove

To us today, I think it means to focus on life, not death.

InPeace,
InLove

There is no TRUE death in Christ.

[JosephM]

Originally Posted by LeoSalinas22

hello fellow posters!

this is one of my most favorite scriptures:

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

the reason for this thread is because i wanted to hear the different views that one has in regards to this quote. for instance, what do you think He meant? was He being cold hearted? and what would you do if He told you to do the same thing if it was one of your family members? thanks for putting up with me, guys. hope to hear from you all soon and God bless you all...

It is my view Jesus was not being cold hearted. The disciple said he wanted to follow him but had to go bury his father first. Jesus knew he was just making an excuse as if he were comitted to the journey to follow him but he was not and thus Jesus resonded with 'a figure of speech' meaning ... let those who care not or care less for the spiritual life and value the celebrations of the flesh more than the spirit do the burying. Follow me. Which is more important? The greek word for "bury" in this case is a 'celebration ritual'.

Just my take....

Love and Peace,
JM