“Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.”
Matthew 8:21 (CSB)
Jesus was about to cross the Sea of Galilee by boat, and two men spoke to Him before He left. The first, a scribe, promised to follow Him anywhere. This second man is called a disciple, which means a learner who goes along with a teacher, and he calls Jesus “Lord.” But he asks to do one thing first.
Burying a father was a son’s duty in Israel, because God’s law tells us to honor our father and mother (Exodus 20:12). Some teachers think the man’s father had just died, and he wanted to go to the funeral. Others think his father was still alive, and the man meant he would stay home until his father died, which could take years. Either way, the man asked for something to come before following Jesus.
Earlier, Jesus had told His followers what comes first: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33). The kingdom of God means God ruling our lives as King.
We can say “first” too. “First let me get through this week.” “First I need to feel ready.” When Jesus has told us plainly what to do in the Bible, we ought to do it now, not after the thing we have put first.
Jesus never put anything ahead of the work His Father sent Him to do, and that work was saving us. He knew the cross was waiting for Him in Jerusalem, and He went anyway, to die for our sins and rise again.