Let the dead bury their own dead

[tonychanyt]

uke 9:

59 He [Jesus] said to another man [M1], “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Wasn't Jesus a bit harsh?

No, according to Smith's Bible Commentary:

And Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead: but you go and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60 ).
You say, "Wow, how cold and insensitive Jesus must have been. Wouldn't even allow this fellow to go and attend his father's funeral. Why anybody lets you off work to attend your dad's funeral." But that phrase, "Allow me first to bury my father," is an interesting phrase of procrastination. It doesn't mean that your father is dead. It is a phrase that they still use to the present day, that says, I want to stick around home for a while. I want to wait till my father dies, and then I'll come. And it didn't mean that his father was dead and was ready to be buried, because they always buried people within two hours after they were dead. So when he says, "Allow me first to bury my father," he is saying, "Maybe down the road a ways, I've got a few things I want to do first, and down the road a ways maybe I'll do it. Me first."

Likewise, Barclay's Daily Study Bible:

Jesus' words to the second man sound harsh, but they need not be so. In all probability the man's father was not dead, and not even nearly dead. His saying most likely meant, "I will follow you after my father has died." An English official in the East tells of a very brilliant young Arab who was offered a scholarship to Oxford or Cambridge. His answer was, "I will take it after I have buried my father." At the time his father was not much more than forty years of age.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible expressed a similar sentiment. This interpretation of Luke 9:60 is consistent with Moses' commanded in Exodus 20:

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

M1 dishonored his father.

Was Jesus discouraging M1 from honoring his family?

No, Jesus was not against proper respect for the dead, but rather he was challenging M1 to reorient his priorities and recognize the urgency of Jesus's mission.

See also

• No one who puts his hand to the plow and LOOKS BACK is fit for the kingdom of God

 

[Grafted In]

That brings to mind Rebecca. Her family wanted her to wait so many months before deciding.
But she said boldly, "I will go with him".
One of my favorite portions of Scriprure. Isaac's father sent his servant, in the role of the Holy Spirit, and she chose to leave emediately with him to marry Abraham's son.

Perhaps not the most pertainant responces you'll get, but it instantly came to my mind.

 

[Grafted In]

Thought this thread would draw more responses.