Matthew 8:18-22 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
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What does it mean to be alive? The medical definition would be that I have brain function, I'm breathing, and my heart is pumping blood. I could be in a coma and on a respirator, but I'd be technically alive. When people fall in love they speak of being so alive! There's an energy and zest that fills the soul when love is new. Of course that wears off over time. If life and the energy of life is fleeting, then what does being alive really mean in the long scheme of things?
Jesus was swarmed by a crowd of sick and demon possessed people when he'd retired for the night at Capernaum. After healing all their sick and driving or their demons, He decided to go across the lake to another place to rest, but the crowd followed.
Two of the crowd spoke to Jesus as they made their way to the boats. The first said he'd follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus warned him that following Christ is tireless work.
The second said he'd follow too but He needed to bury his father first. It's not that his father lay dead, otherwise why would he be in the crowd hanging out with Jesus? Why would he not be at home attending to funeral arrangements and consoling his family? It's more likely there is an unwillingness to follow Jesus, until the would-be disciple decides the time is right.
Jesus' response is jolting. He tells him to let the dead bury their dead, but you follow- me. It's like He's saying those who don't follow Jesus are dead. In other words those who are not in the crowd listening to Jesus' teaching are dead. If this loyal son wishes to stay with his father until he passes, he is dead too. To my sensibilities that's a pretty harsh thing to say.
I refer to my initial question. What does it mean to be alive? Jesus had the authority to grant life, even to the dead, and to repel those enemies of life like disease and demons. When Lazarus died, his sister's ran to Jesus and said if He'd only been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life." (Jn 11:25) Jesus is life. So to be alive, truly alive, is to be in communion with Jesus. To be alive is to abide in Him and He in you. (Jn 15:1-10) Jesus said that He came into this world that we might have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) Abundant life, everlasting life, eternal life; these are all pointing to the same thing, that is the life lived with God through Christ Jesus.
When you first believed you were marked as His with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Something changed inside your heart. That was the beginning of your transformation and salvation when you invited Christ Jesus to save you from sin. The wonderful thing about the Christian walk is that it just keeps getting better. The further you keep in pace with your Lord's lead, the deeper your connection to the Lifegiver. A zest for living is there within. There's a divine energy in your heart that cannot be defeated, unless we choose to surrender it. Jesus called the Holy Spirit living water. Through your faith in Christ living water is inside your heart welling up to eternal life!
Why delay? Stop with the excuses or waiting until the time is right. the longer you procrastinate, the longer you remain dead in your trespasses, for sin separates us from God. Estrangement from God means death, perhaps a long slow death, like a flower hidden from the sun. But return to the source of life and watch your revival!
So let the proverbial dead remain with their dead things and dead activities and dead infatuations. You go and follow Jesus into life!
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What does it mean to be alive? The medical definition would be that I have brain function, I'm breathing, and my heart is pumping blood. I could be in a coma and on a respirator, but I'd be technically alive. When people fall in love they speak of being so alive! There's an energy and zest that fills the soul when love is new. Of course that wears off over time. If life and the energy of life is fleeting, then what does being alive really mean in the long scheme of things?
Jesus was swarmed by a crowd of sick and demon possessed people when he'd retired for the night at Capernaum. After healing all their sick and driving or their demons, He decided to go across the lake to another place to rest, but the crowd followed.
Two of the crowd spoke to Jesus as they made their way to the boats. The first said he'd follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus warned him that following Christ is tireless work.
The second said he'd follow too but He needed to bury his father first. It's not that his father lay dead, otherwise why would he be in the crowd hanging out with Jesus? Why would he not be at home attending to funeral arrangements and consoling his family? It's more likely there is an unwillingness to follow Jesus, until the would-be disciple decides the time is right.
Jesus' response is jolting. He tells him to let the dead bury their dead, but you follow- me. It's like He's saying those who don't follow Jesus are dead. In other words those who are not in the crowd listening to Jesus' teaching are dead. If this loyal son wishes to stay with his father until he passes, he is dead too. To my sensibilities that's a pretty harsh thing to say.
I refer to my initial question. What does it mean to be alive? Jesus had the authority to grant life, even to the dead, and to repel those enemies of life like disease and demons. When Lazarus died, his sister's ran to Jesus and said if He'd only been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life." (Jn 11:25) Jesus is life. So to be alive, truly alive, is to be in communion with Jesus. To be alive is to abide in Him and He in you. (Jn 15:1-10) Jesus said that He came into this world that we might have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) Abundant life, everlasting life, eternal life; these are all pointing to the same thing, that is the life lived with God through Christ Jesus.
When you first believed you were marked as His with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Something changed inside your heart. That was the beginning of your transformation and salvation when you invited Christ Jesus to save you from sin. The wonderful thing about the Christian walk is that it just keeps getting better. The further you keep in pace with your Lord's lead, the deeper your connection to the Lifegiver. A zest for living is there within. There's a divine energy in your heart that cannot be defeated, unless we choose to surrender it. Jesus called the Holy Spirit living water. Through your faith in Christ living water is inside your heart welling up to eternal life!
Why delay? Stop with the excuses or waiting until the time is right. the longer you procrastinate, the longer you remain dead in your trespasses, for sin separates us from God. Estrangement from God means death, perhaps a long slow death, like a flower hidden from the sun. But return to the source of life and watch your revival!
So let the proverbial dead remain with their dead things and dead activities and dead infatuations. You go and follow Jesus into life!
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