On yet another occasion, one of Jesus’s FOLLOWERS said to Him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, FOLLOW ME, and let the dead bury their own dead’, Matthew chapter 8 verse 22.

On the face of it, this seems to many readers to be a perfectly reasonable request and the response of Jesus comes across as harsh and lacking empathy. However, we begin to think again when we examine the man’s words more carefully, ‘Lord, let me first’. Once he has mentioned the word ‘LORD’ there is no room for ‘ME FIRST’. If he had been a true disciple, he would never have put his own wants first. True disciples would say first, ‘Lord, if it’s Your will . . .’ Our first desire must always be to do what He wants us to do and to be where He wants us to be.

Jesus’s reply must be viewed in the context of the time it was spoken, i.e. if the man’s father had not yet died (it appears as if this was the case), the funeral and subsequent period of mourning would have lasted several weeks. Also touching a dead body, under the Law, made a person unclean for seven days, Numbers chapter 19 verse 11.

However, the more important point is that, if we wish to be true disciples, nothing, even family ties and/or death, must be allowed to divert us from His call, ‘Follow Me’. Life, at best, is brief and the work of the disciple in spreading God’s gospel of salvation is urgent. We have a responsibility to get the priorities right. We can, with the Lord’s blessing, ‘Let the (spiritually) dead bury their own (physically) dead’, Matthew chapter 8 verse 22. Our priority is to follow Him and preach the gospel!