In the Fulness of Time/Part 44

Previous Article

In our previous article we discussed the first of three men who wanted to follow Christ. He was characterized by Commitment without Consideration. In this article, a second man is just the opposite:

Consideration without Commitment: The Postponed Preaching. Matt. 8:21-22

Matthew 8:21 “And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”

This man is designated as another of his disciples, which gives the impression that both he and the scribe were already aware of the claims of Jesus to be the Messiah, and had heard the Sermon on the Mount with its requirement of a righteousness better than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. However, in attempting to evaluate the true spiritual condi­tion of either man, since their response is not recorded, we must depend upon other evi­dence from the text itself.

There is a real disagreement among the commentaries as to the meaning of “Permit me first to go and bury my father.” Had his father died, or not? Was this merely a request to attend the funeral? Several things argue against this interpretation. First, if his father had died, the funeral would have been held the same day or the next, with a mourning period immediately following the burial. By then, Jesus would have been gone. Second, if the father had died, the son would have been obligated to be at home keeping vigil over the body until after the funeral. This man, according to Luke 9:57 is walking down the road with Jesus and the crowd!

A third consideration comes from the traditional meaning of the saying in the Mid-East. It means, “Let me go and be with my father until he dies.” In G. Campbell Morgan’s commen­tary on Matthew, pp. 87-88, he recalls this story: “Dr. George Adam Smith tells of how he was one day trying hard to persuade a young man to go with him as a guide into a district not frequented by travelers. Healthy and robust he stood by his tent, a genuine Arab; and there was his father, of patriarchal appearance, but well and healthy. The intended journey would have occupied some months at least, and the young man at last, with peculiar cour­tesy, said, ‘Sir, let me first bury my father,’ thus using the very words of the Bible story and revealing its true meaning. There was no immediate prospect of the death of the father, but the son said, ‘I cannot leave my father.’”

Kenneth Bailey, a missionary in Beruit, Lebanon also gives credence to this interpreta­tion from his personal observation and reading. In his book, Through Peasant Eyes, on page 26, he quotes from a contemporary Arab Christian commentator, Ibrahim Said, “The second (disciple) is looking far into the future, for he postpones following Jesus to a time after the death of his father…. The phrase, ‘to bury one’s father’ is a traditional idiom that reflects specifically to the duty of the son to remain at home and care for his parents until they are laid to rest respectfully. The present writer has heard this specific language used again and again among Middle Easterners discussing emigration…. The point is, are you not going to stay until you have fulfilled the traditional duty of taking care of your parents until their death, and then consider emigrating?”

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

Taking this verse along with its parallel in Luke 9:60, there are four distinct statements which should settle the question as to whether or not this man is already saved and is being called to service. First, in both Gospels the word follow is akolouthei, present im­perative of akolouthe-o, which has been defined as following someone steadfastly as a disciple, in living and even in dying. This is what Jesus commands him to do, to follow and to make it the habit of his life (present, continuous tense). Second, in both Gospels, “let the dead bury their dead” means to let the spiritually dead assume responsibility for their physically dead. Jesus is obviously contrasting this disciple as one who is not spiritually dead; he is very much spiritually alive, or the next two statements could never be spoken to him. Third, in Luke 9:60 there is the added command, “but go thou and preach the king­dom of God.” The first part of this command contained a separate pronoun, the emphatic you in addition to the second person of the verb, you preach. Thus it reads, “But as for you, you go and preach” which is a direct emphatic call to this man personally. Fourth, in Luke 9:60 the command to “go thou and preach the kingdom of God” indicates that Christ is issuing an emphatic call to preach, not a call to salvation. There are true Chris­tians even today who have resisted Christ’s call to ministry for this very same reason, parental and cultural pressure, and allowing this to supersede the command of Christ. This matter of the chain of command will also be the subject of Matthew 10:34-39.

Commitment without Dedication: The Backward Look. Luke 9:61-62

Luke 9:61-62 “And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell who are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

A third man is mentioned in Luke’s account. He calls Jesus Lord and is a volunteer disciple; I will follow thee, but he, too, has a pre-condition; he wishes to go home and take leave (apotasso) of his family. In Mid-Eastern culture, this is more than just saying good­bye; it is asking permission to leave. Jesus responds with the illustration of a plowman. Plowing takes dedicated concentration, because a plowman who looks back cannot cut a straight furrow and is also likely to hit a rock and break the plow. Thus, he would not be fit (euthetos), or literally, well-placed, for the kingdom of God. It takes dedication to do an acceptable work for the Lord, without looking back to the family from which you came. This means, that to some extent, the family is more important than God’s claim on your life and service.

Three men, therefore express a desire to be disciples of Christ. As has been seen, discipleship takes more than desire. The Talmud says that a father and his son or a master and his disciple are regarded as one individual. Becoming the student/disciple is the ce­menting of a lifelong relationship to a person. The starting point, according to Jesus is an understanding that His authority takes precedence over family and all other relationships. To follow Christ as a disciple takes more than mere desire; it takes a discipline which in­cludes counting the cost; it takes a determination to supersede all familial and cultural demands; it takes a dedication which allows for no turning back, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). In the fulness of time, it will be revealed just exactly who are the true followers of Christ, and which ones are mere sham!

Read Part 45