"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"
(Matthew 8:21-22).
The basic issue Jesus is dealing with here is not about whether one should conduct funerals or not. Jesus was certainly not opposed to giving the dead decent burial. He was Himself decently buried after His death according to the prevailing Jewish custom of the day. Indeed, just before He died, He took opportunity to specifically commend one of the preparatory steps taken towards His burial. Jesus' flowery commendation of Mary's action when she poured that expensive ointment on Him could be safely taken as the master's endorsement of whatever reasonable and righteous steps we take to give our departed loved ones decent funerals.
What then was Jesus aiming at when He seemed to have dissuaded that disciple from attending to his father's burial? The key word that unlocks the real import of the above verses is the word 'FIRST' in verse twenty-one. Jesus' emphasis was clearly on the question of our priorities. The basic concern of Jesus is, what comes first in your life - is it you or God, your pleasures or His pleasures, your job or faithfulness to the Lord, fulfilling societal obligations or your obligations to the Lord, or is it burying the dead or serving God?
In our passage for further reading, the story is told of how Hezekiah, when he became king, placed priority on the service of God. Before Hezekiah ascended the throne, temple services had been literally abolished, the house of the Lord was under lock and key, and the people of Judah had almost forgotten how to worship the only true God. But in the very first year of his reign and in the first month, Hezekiah opened the door of the house of the Lord which had been closed in the days of his father. Moreover, he ordered the repairs of
all that was broken down in God's house and restored temple worship in Judah with all the accompanying festivals.
Because Hezekiah served God first from the very beginning of his reign and of the year, God adequately rewarded him by being with him in all things. From this, we learn that if we want to enjoy the presence of
God all through the year and for the rest of life, we must place priority on the service of God now. Hezekiah also enjoyed tremendous but unusual favour with God. God prospered him and blessed his people as well. God defended and delivered him from all his enemies. God also answered his prayers in very unusual manners. An interesting example is when he was sick and a death sentence was handed down to him by the
prophet of God. Hezekiah prayed to God, and while the prophet was on his way out of the king's palace, God spoke to the prophet to go back and reverse the prophecy.
My charge to you in this early days of the year is that you should serve God and serve Him first. Whatever you should do for God, do it now and don't put it off till later in the year. God never likes second place at any point in time. This is the morning of the year, use it to serve God so that you may experience His blessings in the afternoon and evening of the year. You may need to specifically ask the Lord what He would have you do. Or you could seek the counsel of your pastor or a spiritual leader on what to do. But whatever you do,
remember that God is first. Do your best to serve Him first.
go and bury my father.
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead"
(Matthew 8:21-22).
The basic issue Jesus is dealing with here is not about whether one should conduct funerals or not. Jesus was certainly not opposed to giving the dead decent burial. He was Himself decently buried after His death according to the prevailing Jewish custom of the day. Indeed, just before He died, He took opportunity to specifically commend one of the preparatory steps taken towards His burial. Jesus' flowery commendation of Mary's action when she poured that expensive ointment on Him could be safely taken as the master's endorsement of whatever reasonable and righteous steps we take to give our departed loved ones decent funerals.
What then was Jesus aiming at when He seemed to have dissuaded that disciple from attending to his father's burial? The key word that unlocks the real import of the above verses is the word 'FIRST' in verse twenty-one. Jesus' emphasis was clearly on the question of our priorities. The basic concern of Jesus is, what comes first in your life - is it you or God, your pleasures or His pleasures, your job or faithfulness to the Lord, fulfilling societal obligations or your obligations to the Lord, or is it burying the dead or serving God?
In our passage for further reading, the story is told of how Hezekiah, when he became king, placed priority on the service of God. Before Hezekiah ascended the throne, temple services had been literally abolished, the house of the Lord was under lock and key, and the people of Judah had almost forgotten how to worship the only true God. But in the very first year of his reign and in the first month, Hezekiah opened the door of the house of the Lord which had been closed in the days of his father. Moreover, he ordered the repairs of
all that was broken down in God's house and restored temple worship in Judah with all the accompanying festivals.
Because Hezekiah served God first from the very beginning of his reign and of the year, God adequately rewarded him by being with him in all things. From this, we learn that if we want to enjoy the presence of
God all through the year and for the rest of life, we must place priority on the service of God now. Hezekiah also enjoyed tremendous but unusual favour with God. God prospered him and blessed his people as well. God defended and delivered him from all his enemies. God also answered his prayers in very unusual manners. An interesting example is when he was sick and a death sentence was handed down to him by the
prophet of God. Hezekiah prayed to God, and while the prophet was on his way out of the king's palace, God spoke to the prophet to go back and reverse the prophecy.
My charge to you in this early days of the year is that you should serve God and serve Him first. Whatever you should do for God, do it now and don't put it off till later in the year. God never likes second place at any point in time. This is the morning of the year, use it to serve God so that you may experience His blessings in the afternoon and evening of the year. You may need to specifically ask the Lord what He would have you do. Or you could seek the counsel of your pastor or a spiritual leader on what to do. But whatever you do,
remember that God is first. Do your best to serve Him first.
No comments:
Post a Comment