"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."
Just so we're all on the same page as to what is going on here -quite a few people were following Jesus around listening to Him teach and watching Him do miracles. The disciple being talked about here likely wasn't one of the 12 hand-picked by Jesus, rather was one of these that were following Jesus around.
Nevertheless, the call of Christ to everyone who will follow Him is the same: "Leave everything, and follow Me." There is no part-time with Jesus. The exchanged life is all or nothing. We do not have the option of adding a little bit of Jesus into the daily routine and thinking everything is all right.
This disciple was considering the seriousness of the call and was telling Jesus, "I have other priorities and commitments right now, but maybe later. Perhaps after my father has passed away and I have all of my family issues in order -maybe then I can leave everything and follow. I really can't afford to risk losing my inheritance, Jesus -surely You can understand that. After my father has died and been buried, I won't be risking so much."
Jesus' response is the same to this man is it would be to you or I today: "Let the (spiritually) dead be concerned with temporal and material things. If you want to follow me, you've got to set aside everything that was -hopes, dreams, plans, because I have new plans for those who will follow."
There are two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the god of this world. The god of this world is constantly warning, "Don't be a fanatic; don't go crazy with this; you don't have to go overboard; a little of Jesus goes a long way." Jesus simply says, "Yes, it's going to cost you: but follow Me."
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