LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD

https://michaeljeshurun.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/mike-jeshuruns-articles-46/

Following Jesus takes priority over all other commitments.

Luke 9:57-62

Jesus had determined that the time had come for him to journey to Jerusalem, where he would be crucified.  Along the way he taught on many topics, including the nature of discipleship.  

One of these hard sayings was "foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

While, on the surface, it seems to be referring to the loss of those comforts associated with having a home to live in, it also refers to the rejection that Jesus experienced and the fact that after his death in Jerusalem he would not have a "home" to lay his head in death (he would not have access to a family tomb.) Indeed, Joseph of Amimathea provided his own tomb for Jesus. 

Another hard saying included "let the dead bury their dead"  and "no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" in response to one who wanted to delay his obedience to Jesus until some later point in the future.

Being "fit for" was a Greek word carrying the idea of "ready for use."  Jesus was pointing out that:

• following the teachings and example provided by Jesus included no guarantee of comfort; 

• delayed obedience is disobedience;

• we can't move forward in Christ if we are looking backwards at something else.

• those with other priorities are not yet "ready for use", or ripe (matured for use).

Clearly Jesus knew that the man wanting to bury his father was offering an excuse as to why he could not immediately answer Jesus' call to follow him.  When God calls it is best not to procrastinate.  The time is NOW to follow what God is calling you to.

Death is not annihilation, but separation.  Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, expulsion from this earth. So spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God – expulsion from association with God.

It is likely that Jesus was identifying two types of dead people–the spiritually dead and the physically dead.  If this would-be follower of Jesus was spiritually alive he would have recognized a more pressing obligation than burying his physically dead father.  The kingdom of God was at hand and it was Jesus' duty, and that of his disciples (those who follow after him) to teach, announce, and share the kingdom of God with others.

A second man wanted to go home and say goodbye to his household.  But if one's focus is on the joys of the past, the current focus (God's calling and his present and future joys) cannot be adequately pursued. When plowing, it requires a focus upon some distant point and traveling to it.  Not focusing on a future point, focusing on a point in another direction, or turning the head and looking at various points will result in a random pattern that is less than useful for crops.

Focusing on the physically dead, or on the pleasures of past family life when called upon by God to travel a different way is not effective for sharing the kingdom of God.

Let go of the past, evaluate your priorities and follow Jesus' teachings and his call with immediate obedience.  

Remember, delayed obedience can be considered disobedience.



Burial Practices in Biblical Times
(with Biblical references)

Partly because of the warm climate of Palestine and partly because the corpse was considered ritually impure, the Hebrews buried their dead as soon as possible and usually within 24 hours of death.  To allow a body to decay or be desecrated above the ground was highly dishonorable, and any corpse found by the wayside was required to be buried. Israel's mourning rites reflect in part the belief that death is something evil.  All contact with death–whether it happened by touching a corpse, the bones of a corpse, a grave, or a house which contained a dead body–made the Israelite unclean and in need of purification.  In addition to personal sorrow, the mourning rites reflected at least to a degree the mourner's humiliation because of his necessarily close contact with the body of the deceased.

Biblical examples of burial practices

• Joseph closed his father's eyelids soon after Jacob's death.

• Jesus' body was prepared for burial by anointing with aromatic oils and spices and wrapping in a linen cloth.

• The arms and legs of Lazarus' body were bound with cloth and the face covered by a napkin.

• The body of Tabitha was washed in preparation for burial.

Burial sites

• The dead were buried in caves, rock-cut tombs, or in the ground.

• It was desirable to be buried in the family tomb.  Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were all buried in the cave of Machpelah, east of Hebron.

• Burial sites were marked by trees, pillars, and piles of stones.

Burial rituals found in the Bible

• When preparations for burial were completed, the body was usually placed on a bier and carried to the burial site in a procession of relatives, friends, and servants.

• The procession carried out the mourning ritual, which could include rending garments and wearing sackcloth; loud and agonized weeping; and putting dust on the head and sitting in ashes.

• The period of mourning varied in response to circumstances.

• The deaths of the famous prompted poetic laments.

• Professional mourners are referred to in Jeremiah, Amos, and in Matthew (referred to as flute players; Jesus seemed to dismiss them as he healed the ruler's daughter).

Other burial practices

• Cremation–Bodies were cremated only in exceptional cases such as decay following mutilation or the threat of plague.  Even in these instances, cremation was partial so that the bones remained.

• Embalming was an Egyptian practice.

• Embalming is mentioned only in the burial accounts of Jacob and Joseph and only because of the Egyptian setting a plans to move the bodies.