And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus reveals a profound truth by contrasting the spiritually alive with the spiritually dead. He's saying that those who are "dead" in their faith, who aren't actively following Him, are the ones fit for the ordinary, albeit necessary, routines of life, like attending funerals. Your true calling to follow Him, however, makes you part of the living, with a priority that supersedes even the deepest family obligations.
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage follows Jesus' healing of the Centurion's servant and the calling of Matthew the tax collector. Before this, Jesus has already encountered a scribe eager to follow but is warned of his lack of worldly possessions and comfort. This verse comes in response to another follower who asks permission to bury his father, highlighting a conflict between immediate family duties and Jesus' call to discipleship.
Imagine being called to something monumental, but your first thought is about a funeral. Jesus confronts this tension head-on.
When Jesus called this man to follow Him, it wasn't just an invitation; it was a divine command. The man, however, felt bound by the sacred duty of burying his father. Jesus' response, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead,' isn't about disrespecting family obligations or the ritual of burial. Instead, it highlights an absolute priority: God's call supersedes all other duties, even the most profound ones we owe to our earthly families.
The Higher Calling
Jesus clarifies that His call is to a life of active service and proclamation—a stark contrast to the finality and stillness of death. While earthly duties have their place, they cannot hold back someone answering God's specific, immediate command. This isn't about neglecting loved ones, but about recognizing that our ultimate allegiance and responsiveness belong to Christ, especially when He calls us to a unique mission.
Jesus uses a startling phrase: 'let the dead bury their dead.' What does He mean by 'dead' in this context?
The profound paradox in Jesus' words points to a spiritual reality. The 'dead' who are to bury the 'dead' are not primarily the physically deceased, but those who are spiritually dead—those living without Christ, indifferent to God's kingdom.
Spiritual Insignificance
Jesus suggests that the responsibilities of the physically dead are best handled by those who are spiritually alive to God's call. Those truly 'alive' in Christ are focused on the eternal, on proclaiming God's kingdom, and cannot be held back by the mundane concerns of the physically deceased. The spiritually dead, on the other hand, are occupied with the decaying world and have no capacity to grasp or engage with the eternal significance of the Gospel. Their focus remains fixed on the temporal, making them 'suited' to deal with the finality of physical death without the urgency of a spiritual calling.
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Understand the original words
akoloutheō · Greek Verb
To walk behind or after someone, denoting total commitment, imitation of life, and submission to the authority and leadership of Jesus Christ.
nekros · Greek Adjective
In a spiritual sense, those who are alienated from the life of God through sin and rebellion, lacking the regeneration that comes only through Christ.
This interaction highlights the radical, all-consuming nature of Jesus' call to discipleship, demanding an immediate and total commitment that supersedes even the most profound human obligations like burying a parent.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus begins his public ministry
Jesus starts teaching, healing, and gathering disciples, initiating a period of significant religious and social upheaval in Roman Judea.
Early 1st century AD
The Scribe Offers to Follow Jesus
A scribe expresses a desire to follow Jesus, prompting Jesus' initial response about lacking a place to rest his head, highlighting the difficult life of a disciple.
Early 1st century AD
The Disciple Asks to Bury His Father
Another man, possibly a disciple, asks Jesus for permission to first go and bury his father, indicating a request to delay following Jesus due to familial obligation.
Jesus states that if anyone comes to him and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. This emphasizes the absolute priority Jesus demands, even over the deepest human relationships, mirroring the starkness of 'let the dead bury their dead'.
1 Kings 19:20Elijah calls Elisha to follow him, and Elisha asks to bid farewell to his parents. Elijah's response, 'Go, return, for what have I done to you?', seems less severe but still conveys the urgency of divine calling over earthly obligations.
Matthew 10:37-38Jesus declares that whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. This directly supports the idea that following Jesus takes precedence over all family ties and personal comfort.
Romans 6:11Paul speaks of believers being 'alive to God in Christ Jesus' and 'dead to sin.' This passage provides a theological framework for Jesus' likely meaning, contrasting those 'dead in sin' (the ones who should handle earthly burials) with those truly alive in Christ, who are called to follow Him.
John 11:25-26Jesus tells Martha, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.' This highlights Jesus' power over death and contrasts the spiritual life He offers with the state of the 'dead' who are preoccupied with physical death.
calvinMatthew 8:19-22: "And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest."
- And a scribe approaching said to him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou shalt go. 20. And Jesus saith to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests: but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21. And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. 22. And Jesus said to him, Follow me, and allow the dead to…
barnesMatthew 8:22: "But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."
Let the dead bury their dead - The word "dead" is used in this passage in two different senses. It is apparently a paradox, but is suited to convey the idea very distinctly to the mind. The Jews used the word "dead" often to express indifference toward a thing; or, rather, to show that that thing has no "influence" over us. Thus, to be dead to the world; to be dead to the law Romans 7:4 ; to be dead to sin Rom…
Jesus reveals a profound truth by contrasting the spiritually alive with the spiritually dead. He's saying that those who are "dead" in their faith, who aren't actively following Him, are the ones fit for the ordinary, albeit necessary, routines of life, like attending funerals. Your true calling to follow Him, however, makes you part of the living, with a priority that supersedes even the deepest family obligations.
This passage follows Jesus' healing of the Centurion's servant and the calling of Matthew the tax collector. Before this, Jesus has already encountered a scribe eager to follow but is warned of his lack of worldly possessions and comfort. This verse comes in response to another follower who asks permission to bury his father, highlighting a conflict between immediate family duties and Jesus' call to discipleship.
This passage follows Jesus' healing of the Centurion's servant and the calling of Matthew the tax collector. Before this, Jesus has already encountered a scribe eager to follow but is warned of his lack of worldly possessions and comfort. This verse comes in response to another follower who asks permission to bury his father, highlighting a conflict between immediate family duties and Jesus' call to discipleship.
"And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”" — Jesus reveals a profound truth by contrasting the spiritually alive with the spiritually dead. He's saying that those who are "dead" in their faith, who aren't actively following Him, are the ones fi…
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Last reviewed October 2026