“Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.’” – Matthew 8:21-22
To our western mind, these words of Jesus sound pretty harsh. However, this lukewarm disciple’s father hadn’t just died. If he had, the son would have been at home mourning for seven days in keeping with Jewish funeral customs. Rather, the man was in one of two situations. Either he was simply anticipating his father’s death sometime in the future (and perhaps an inheritance that would make following Jesus easier) or his father had died in recent months and, consistent with the customs of that time, been placed in a cave tomb for a year-long process of decomposition, at the end of which his bones would be collected for burial.
Either way, what the disciple is really saying is, “I’ll follow you when life gets better, less stressful, more organized, and more convenient.” Have you ever said that? Have you said it recently? Have you ever imagined doing great things for Jesus “when life slows down”? That’s the approach this man tries to take to discipleship and Jesus rejects it out of hand.
Jesus’ invitation to “Follow me” always means TODAY. Right now, when life feels out of control. There’s no better day to commit and follow Jesus with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength than TODAY. Don’t wait for life to slow down (it won’t). Don’t wait for a “better” time because there are no guarantees about the future. Don’t wait until you clean up your life and get organized – let Jesus do that while you’re following Him!
Earthly affairs certainly matter but not nearly so much as the blessing, joy, honor, privilege, purpose, and transformation we experience by living a fully-devoted, Kingdom-centered, Christ-following life today and every day. Stop imagining the future and start doing great things for Jesus now! Don’t wait, follow Jesus today!