What did Jesus mean by the Dead burying the Dead?

Answer 1

Jesus basically was saying, "Your first duty is to follow Me. Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. An unsaved person can do that kind of work. But there is a work which you alone can do. Give the best of your life to what really lasts. Don’t waste it on trivial matters."

Answer 2

By death it is usually meant SPIRITUAL death not physical death. When one of the disciples of Jesus invited Him to go to the burial of one of his relatives, He said no! And then added "Let the dead bury the dead." This is an episode known to everyone. It is obvious that physically dead people can not bury other physically dead people. So the obvious meaning is, let those who are SPIRITUALLY dead, but do have a physical life, bury those who are physically dead.
Now the question is who is a spiritually dead person? At the time of Jesus, that is approximately 2000 years ago, it was all those who did not accept Him and did not follow His teachings. So He calls them dead although they were obviously living.
This raises again a new question that is, why is a person considered spiritually dead if he doesn't recognize a Manifestation of God, in this case Jesus? But this is no more part of your question and would lengthen the answer

Answer 3

The record at Matthew 8:21, 22 (NW) is: “Then another of the disciples said to him: ‘Master, permit me first to leave and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him: ‘Keep following me, and let the dead bury their dead.’” These words do not militate against anyone’s attending a funeral. The man here addressed had said to Jesus that he wanted to go and bury his father, but that did not mean that the man’s father was dead already, for if his father had been dead at the moment the man would have been there at the bier and not listening to Jesus. But the man meant that his father was old and sooner or later would die; and so the man wanted to postpone following Jesus until after he had taken care of his father until death and could receive his father’s dying blessing and then fulfill his father’s wish to have his son at the deathbed close his eyes piously after death ensued. This would have delayed the man’s following Jesus indefinitely and hence Jesus said to let the dead bury their dead. The man’s relatives were evidently not following Jesus on the way to life and hence were dead spiritually and could be left to bury the man’s father when he died. But when dedicated Christians today who are on the way of life and out from under the world’s condemnation have a death in the family and have a funeral, can you rightfully say that here is a case of the “dead” (spiritually) burying the dead? No. The man in the Biblical case wanted to go home to bury his father and not to give a witness by a funeral sermon.

Answer 4

The Dead is capable of burying the Dead. Just leave a dead carcass in the open, and it will be gone after some time.

Many Indians in Parsis, India do this.



Unless Jesus was talking about the mortician/undertaker burying the dead.

Answer 5

Let the spiritually dead bury the literally dead.

No earthly ties or connections with unconverted friends or family should prevent the progress of God's work of winning souls for Christ.

Here is the whole context.

Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Luke 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Jesus was helping this person to see things in the proper perspective.

There are people whose consciences are dead to spiritual things and they are dead in trespasses and sin.

While both life and death are matters of great importance, the work of saving the living is more important than attending to those who are already dead.

Show N Tell

Answer 6

Those who does not believe in the life saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ is dead before the eyes of God. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me", when Thomas, one of His disciples, asked Him how are they to find the way when He goes to join the Father. False teachers, IE. the Pharisees of that time, even modern day preachers who pretend to preach the goodnews but donot know what they are teaching., alternative religions, etc
are in effect bringing spiritual death to their adherents by the false teachings they spread, thus the dead burying the dead.

Answer 7

The spiritually dead [unbelievers] burying the physically dead. [cadavers]

Answer 8

The dead in Spirit. Someone waiting around for their relatives to die just to get their hands on the inheritance instead of looking to the eternal inheritance given to us by God through Christ.

Answer 9

The religious people will make up all sorts of explanations to suit their purpose. No one knows what he meant it's all guesswork.

Answer 10

Forget family and follow me.