“Let the dead bury the dead” – Jesus Christ (Luke 9:60)
Jesus Christ said a lot of things people find offensive. This statement is one of them and today, I am interested in zooming in a bit.
What does it mean for the dead to bury the dead?
It is actually pretty simple and straightforward.
Let the dead bury the dead while those alive build an ark to ensure man’s survival.
Let the dead bury the dead while those alive build pyramids to save food for the famine ahead
Let the dead bury the dead (er… actually go for a census) while those alive witness the birth of the messiah!
Let the dead bury the dead while those alive go about developing the kingdom of God
Let the dead bury the dead while those alive are making plans and taking actions based on what God reveals to us through his Spirit per time.
The phrase let the dead bury the dead in this context means everyday people doing everyday things, ordinary things people do everyday. Things like parties, weddings, funerals, census, elections, hangouts, and birthdays all certainly qualify.
So, while people who are spiritually dead go about business the way it has always been done, upholding customs and traditions the way it has been done for centuries, people who are spiritually alive and in tune with what God is doing should really focus on what has been entrusted into their hands.
No time to go burying some dead. There are lots of “dead” people around that can execute such tasks, freeing you up for the more important things.
Let me rewrite that:
No time to go about executing some ordinary, trivial task or assignment, there are lots of ordinary people who can do that! Some of us need to be freed up to focus properly on the things that are most important to the future of everyone.
Therefore, I conclude that we should not concern ourselves with what dead people are doing, we should focus only on what we are doing.
Selah
