Let The Dead Bury Their Dead

Recently, I was having a conversation with some brethren where one told us about a recent experience he had. It was ministry-related, and one moment that caught my attention was when he mentioned the saying, “Let the dead bury their dead.”

While we delve into the conversation and see why it caught my attention, I'd like to ask you what you think about the saying, “Let the dead bury their dead.” Do you think Jesus was cordial to the one he supposedly said that to? Why do you think so? Keep that answer somewhere.

In this discussion, we will approach the topic in three stages, considering the Bible verse where the statement, “Let the dead bury their dead,” is found, what it meant, and whether or not it's the right thing to say to someone who lost a loved one. Let's get started.

Meanwhile, here's our previous Read: Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead Verse

In the Bible, the phrase “Let the dead bury their dead” only appears in two of the four Gospels, Matthew and Luke. It first shows up in Matthew 8:22 and then in Luke 9:60 with an added instruction to follow.

According to Matthew 8:22 KJV, “But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

While in Luke 9:60 KJV, “Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

While both Matthew and Luke report that Jesus made the statement within a similar scenario, Matthew ended the statement, but Luke extends it with the command to go and preach the kingdom of God for the one who lost someone. So, according to Luke, Jesus said something that Matthew didn't recall, wasn't aware of, or decided was unnecessary to include in his report.

What Does “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead” Mean?

Using the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Matthew recorded the event leading to the statement with the subheading "Discipleship Test,” while Luke has it as Exacting Discipleship, found in Matthew 8:18 and Luke 9:57, respectively. I found that useful as it helped me to get a clear idea of what was going on, even though it's not a hard bone to crack.

One thing I noticed was that in each account, the preceding events were different. Matthew was about the casting out of demons, with the attribution of such to a popular prophecy by Isaiah, while Luke was about Jesus' refusal to call down fire on the Samaritans. It appears to be a compilation of different stories into two separate accounts, regardless of the chronological order or the direct connection between the events.

Regarding the story, pay attention to the following details. 

According to Matthew 8:18-22,

“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.”

Meanwhile, according to Luke 9:56-62,

“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

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.

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Considering both reports, here are the differences I thought I should point out:

1. Matthew and Luke fit the same interaction into two entirely different scenarios. Matthew's account describes a departure from the crowd, with some showing interest in following Christ over to the other side, while Luke's was a movement through another village after being denied passage by the Samaritans.

2. Matthew presents the two groups of people who interacted with Jesus in the following order: a certain scribe and the man who lost his father. While Luke presented three groups of people, including a certain man, the one who lost his father, and one who wanted to bid his family farewell.

3. The events that followed afterwards differ, depending on which account you read.

Let the Dead Bury Their Dead Meaning

What does Let the dead bury their dead mean? The common understanding of that statement is that the dead burying their dead refers to the spiritually dead, those entangled with the things of the world, who should go ahead with their worldly concerns. Which would include burying those who are physically unalive.

That understanding would suppose that Jesus found the man who requested to bury his dead father to be rather concerned with the things of this world instead of ministry and his faith. (That would be a reasonable conclusion if all we had was Matthew's account, because after making that statement, he departed from there.)

However, the implication of the dead burying the dead as a response from Jesus to the man who lost his father would be that Jesus preferred him to ignore his loss and focus on the urgent call of being a follower of Christ. To prioritize his ministerial calling over his familial responsibilities. Therefore, according to Luke, he added, “But go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” With that, we've got something to think about. That being said, I ask you, is it the right thing to say for anyone to do?

Is It The Right Thing To Say?

A friend of mine, who is also a preacher of the Gospel, lost his dad and told his employer, a prominent minister, to allow him to go and spend some time with his family. According to him, the man refused his request, and one of the things he said was, “Let the dead bury the dead.” The young minister didn't take it lightly with him and eventually left against the man's will.

The statement sounded very familiar coming from him, and his reaction made me think a lot more about it, to the extent that I decided to dedicate some time to discuss it and share my thoughts.

One possibility I considered was that if he had chosen to let the dead bury their dead in that scenario, he would perhaps fulfill the promise Jesus made regarding turning family members against each other. That would be the case, as his family members wouldn't be happy to know that he prioritized ministry over the burial of his dead father. That would be the beginning of a bigger problem.

But people don't care so much about what appears to be a dangerous statement from the mouth of Jesus, as long as the scriptures say that he said it. They would adhere to it until it becomes personally inconvenient. Then, they would quietly avoid it for their own good. Yet, some would say, “God said it, I believe it; that settles it.”

However, personally, I don't think it's right to encourage a person to neglect their well-being and care for their family to preach “the kingdom of God.” Nor do I believe in ignoring the loss of a loved one to show radical faith in a being that seems to care less about familial care and more about himself. I don't think it's good to do so, regardless of who is supposed to have said it. What about striking a balance? Well, it's your call; the choice is yours to make. Feel free to share your thoughts.