a Different Sort of Life

"Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." . . .Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God." . . .But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)

These verses were a bit vague and questionable to me until recently. I often wondered what Jesus meant by "let the dead bury their own dead. Since experiencing the passing of my mom, I now can understand the phrase a bit better. Jesus was not being disrespectful in any way. He was simply stating the cost of true discipleship. Even in death, we must be careful to keep Christ first and remember to keep the message of the Gospel front and center. While tradition calls for weeping and crying, Jesus calls for calm and understanding. As in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything, but there is never a time to forget the main thing . . .Jesus! Death for the believer does not look like nor feel like death to the non-believer. It is not the end, but a transition into eternity. While there is sadness for sure, the joy of knowing Christ supersedes the sadness. We must keep focused . . . plowing ahead if you would . . . so as to keep everyone focused on Christ and His message of grace, forgiveness, and an eternal relationship with Him!