Matthew 8:22 "But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
What are you willing to leave behind for the sake of Jesus Christ? My pastor always says, "Salvation is free, but following Christ will cost you." In Matthew 8, an unnamed disciple made a request to bury his father. Most people's preunderstanding about Jesus' character would assume that he would grant this disciple's request. But not so. Instead, Jesus tells the disciple to leave what's behind and move forward with him. What was the significance of this? At first read, it may seem that Jesus was being a bit heartless, but further study and investigation would suggest that if the disciple was committed to following Jesus, then he would not partake in activities that would prevent or delay that from happening.
According to Numbers 19:11-22, in Jewish tradition, touching a corpse renders a person unclean for seven days. During this time, they must undergo a thorough purification process. Failing to do so means they remain unclean. The disciple's desire to fufill the burial tradition, possibly extending the process by another year, could have led him to miss an opportunity of walking with the Messiah. This decision was a significant sacrifice, yet it was a necessary choice. The disciple had to consider two options: returning to perform a task with no lasting impact or following Jesus, which had eternal significance.
As believers, we are often faced with making challenging decisions to forsake career, relationships, and endeavors for the sake of following Jesus Christ. Making those decisions is never easy but necessary, because what's at stake is greater than your temporal state of emotion. Salvation is free, but being a disciple comes with a price. There will always be things that you will have to sacrifice on your journey with the King of Kings.
Pause for a moment to consider: what are the things you've been clinging to that God has been urging you to release or move on from? If you can pinpoint these things, have you released them or moved on? If not, what is preventing you from doing so? As you reflect, remember that God's perspective is far superior to ours. He sees beyond what we can see and fathom and knows what is best. Jesus' response to the disciple was not intended to harm but to help him understand that he was not bound by tradition and that he could embrace freedom by following Him.
Reference Article for burial practice: https://rsc.byu.edu/behold-lamb-god/jesus-ossuaries-first-century-jewish-burial-practices-lost-tomb-jesus#:~:text=When%20a%20person%20breathed%20the,then%20wrapped%20with%20winding%20sheets.
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