When Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead"?

Question

wasn't he just stating the same cult beliefs shared by several communal Messianic groups in the region?

Reject your family and join the commune, do not touch the dead, do not eat meat, do not marry.

These were the by laws of every Messianic cult in the region, including the Pythagoreans, Theraputae, Essenes, Ebionites, and Nasoreans.

Biblical scholars have long associated the early Jewish Christians with these cults.

Are these the values that Christians cling to?

Or do you just toss out Jesus and embrace Paul and his popularized version of the Messiah?

Sentinel, the statement above appears in the Gospels in reference to an actual death in the family of one of the followers.

You cannot ignore the context.

Oh, wait. You're a 'believer', so context is irrelevant.

It's interesting that the Christians have absolutely no knowledge of or interest in the origins of the Jerusalem Christians.

Pauline Christians all the way, with Jesus just in case.

Answer 1

You're right!
Spot on, yet again.

Answer 2

I'll have to go with Sentinel on this one. Yes, there were those customs, but when someone becomes enlightened they transcend the customs, as Christ does here with saying the dead should bury the dead. Many who have awakened have said that their former state was as if they had been dead before. Of course it's jut a metaphor, not like zombies or the night of the living dead or something, but the quickening and expansion of enlightenment by comparison to normal consciousness could be fairly compared to living vs death.

Answer 3

When Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead," He was talking to a specific man who wanted to wait to follow Jesus's call. Jesus knew he was just procrastinating. The Jewish law forbade touching dead animals (or people) before one of their holy days as it would make them "unclean." They did eat meat - the Passover lamb and fish. Most of Christ's followers were married - Jesus Christ had a mission that didn't include or have time for marriage. It is true that the early believers pooled their monies and helped each other out financially.

Answer 4

Now we again on the subject who do we follow Paul or Jesus, Friend, Every man of God back then taught the samething Jesus preached, why do you think Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Why would God strike Paul down on the road to Damacus, & Paul said what will thou have me to do LORD. Do you think Jesus will send someone that did not teach exactly what Jesus did, Therefore what the Apostles did is what Jesus told them to do. Now also to the subject let the dead buried the dead, Jesus is not saying a Christian can not bury their loved ones, rather a sinner or a Christian, But Jesus was trying to show them That You can not make every excuse up in order not to follow Jesus. Therefore he was speaking in that term, let the sinner bury the sinner, because many young followers was beginning to make up excuses why they can't follow Jesus.

Answer 5

Definitely. You can also see it in the "anyone who doesn't hate his own family can't follow me" speech, and the "pearls before swine" comment. Jesus made a lot of snide, isolationist remarks regarding outgroups, and you still see that in cults today, particularly Christianity.

Answer 6

Sentinel is right, Christ is saying 'let those who hate the truth and life take care of those that are actually dead because spiritually, haters of truth are just as dead!!!

Answer 7

modern Christianity is an old form of ascetism twisted to be about 'positive living, new thought, health and wealth, gated community' and things like this

nothing about self sacrifice, it's about amassing possesions to themselves and making sure to give some to the church to keep their favorite place to brag about possesions alive

Christian Values = Join us, or die

the Borg?

Answer 8

Jesus teaches the answer to this question "You are dead in your sins and trespasses." The spiritually dead need to repent and be born again to see the kingdom of heaven. John 3

in other words dont spend ;your life in only the physical relm-come to the spiritual- thanks David

Answer 9

Not so, Jesus was refering to those who were dead spiritually and had not the light of God within, perhaps you see Atheism in this light now.

Yes I know that but Jesus said to the man that he should leave the burial to those who were dead within and that he should follow Jesus,as life in Christ is the life of the spirit.

Answer 10

No need to. Your philosophy is no different than Tony Soprano--for the good of the family!