John 6:21-22
“Another of His disciples requested, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’”
Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” Really? His words sound harsh to our ears. Yet His intent was not cruelty, it was clarity. The disciple’s request probably was not about attending a father’s funeral. Many scholars believe the father was still alive, perhaps aged or ill. The son was really saying, “Let me stay home until life feels easier, then I’ll follow You.” In other words, he offered an excuse, not a reason.
Jesus knew how easily excuses can delay obedience. We tell ourselves, “I’ll serve when the kids are grown… I’ll give when finances improve… I’ll worship when life slows down.” But excuses are the cobwebs that keep us from walking in freedom. Christ’s call is urgent, not because He is impatient, but because He knows the joy waiting on the other side of obedience.
Christ is not interested in your retirement plan; He’s interested in your current devotion. Don’t let your “I’ll do it laters” become the graves of what God wants to do right now. Leave the “dead” things—the excuses, the delays, the comfortable waiting games, and do the right thing now!
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.