The Gospel of Luke 9:59-60 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60 KJV).

We just have witnessed a certain man who declared to follow but needed to be made aware of the cost in following the Lord, as we too are made aware. Here, in contrast we have a man being called but finds an excuse to bury his dead father. To him the Lord Jesus says: "Let the dead bury their dead." With this, the Lord reminds the spiritually alive not to be held back by the spiritually dead (those who do not follow Christ) to pursue their primary mission: to remain in God’s grace and proclaim the Gospel of the grace of God. This asserts a commitment to Christ that supersedes even the responsibility of burying one's father, which is viewed as a lesser duty compared to the greater calling of proclaiming the message of God.

The "dead" are those who are separated from God because of their sins and have not responded to the Lord’s call to follow Him. The reality is, this man’s father is physically dead, and the spiritually dead who are still physically alive can take care of the physical burial.

It is, therefore, a matter of prioritizing and not intended to debase the importance of honoring one’s family (1 Timothy 5:8). Rather, this highlights that when there is a direct conflict between honoring those who already used up their time on earth and the call to proclaim the Gospel to those who still have lien of time on earth, proclaiming the Gospel message must come first to save those who are still physically alive but dead in the spiritual realm. The Scriptures warn: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV).

Our focus, therefore, are those who are still present in the body but spiritually separated from God. We must always be in the consciousness that Scriptures remind: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477

Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.