Matthew 8:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

NIV: But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'

NASB: But Jesus *said to him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'

CSB: But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

NLT: But Jesus told him, 'Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead. '

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

NKJV: But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus' words, here and in other parts of the New Testament, can sound harsh to modern ears. That's at least partly due to the misconception that Jesus was soft, passive, and weak. This comment likely seemed harsh to those hearing Him for the first time, as well. A man described as a disciple has requested that Jesus allow him to go and bury his father before following Jesus (Matthew 8:21).

Jesus now commands the man to follow Him, apparently meaning immediately. He tells the man to "leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Two things are important to understand. First, the man most likely wasn't asking to simply go to his father's funeral and come back a few days later. It's possible his father was not yet even dead. Commentators also suggest the man may have been planning to follow a custom of the day to re-bury a loved one's bones a year after their death. This was thought to be the responsibility of a son, especially a firstborn son. It fell under the traditional obligations associated with honoring one's father and mother. The man may have been asking Jesus for up to a year's delay before returning to follow Him—no matter what, his real statement is "I will come when I've done some other things first."

The second thing to understand is that Jesus absolutely asks those who would follow Him to place a greater commitment on their love and loyalty to Him than to anyone else, including parents, spouses, and children (Matthew 10:37–38).

Jesus tells the man to let the spiritually dead bury those who are physically dead. In other words, only those who follow Christ are on the road to true life (Matthew 7:13–14). No human relationship or other obligation can provide a good enough reason to leave that road behind.

As with His response to the scribe (Matthew 8:19–20), Jesus' remark is meant to challenge assumptions—forcing someone to confront their own sincerity. If this man is not willing to "follow" Jesus until it's socially convenient, he's not really willing to follow, at all.

Matthew 8:14–22 summarizes several events. Jesus cures Peter's mother-in-law from a fever. He then spends the evening healing many other people from diseases and casting out demons with a word, fulfilling another of Isaiah's prophecies (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus next talks to two of His followers. One promises to follow Jesus everywhere. Jesus says this will be difficult because He has no home. The other wants to come back and follow Jesus after burying his father. Jesus tells him to follow now and quips that it's better to "leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Matthew begins a series of stories revealing Jesus' authority over sickness, demons, and even the weather. Jesus heals a humble man with leprosy and great faith. He then heals the servant of a Roman centurion who understands that Jesus does not need to come to his home; He can just speak a word. Jesus praises the Gentile man's amazing faith. After healing many more, Jesus and the disciples get caught in a deadly storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus stops the storm with a word. Later, He casts demons out of two men and into a huge herd of pigs.

Matthew 8 follows the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). He turns to telling a series of dramatic stories to show Jesus' power and authority over every kind of disease, over demons, and even over the weather. Jesus also gives brief teachings about the hard road of following Him on earth. He calms a violent storm with a single command and casts demons from two violently possessed men. Matthew will focus mostly on miracles until shifting focus to Jesus' teachings and parables in chapter 11.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.