Luke 9:60
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Original Language Analysis
αὐτῷ
unto him
G846
αὐτῷ
unto him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
3 of 20
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
ὁ
G3588
ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
4 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Ἰησοῦς,
Jesus
G2424
Ἰησοῦς,
Jesus
Strong's:
G2424
Word #:
5 of 20
jesus (i.e., jehoshua), the name of our lord and two (three) other israelites
τοὺς
G3588
τοὺς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
7 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
τοὺς
G3588
τοὺς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
10 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἑαυτῶν
their
G1438
ἑαυτῶν
their
Strong's:
G1438
Word #:
11 of 20
(him- her-, it-, them-, my-, thy-, our-, your-)self (selves), etc
ἀπελθὼν
go
G565
ἀπελθὼν
go
Strong's:
G565
Word #:
15 of 20
to go off (i.e., depart), aside (i.e., apart) or behind (i.e., follow), literally or figuratively
τὴν
G3588
τὴν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
17 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
βασιλείαν
the kingdom
G932
βασιλείαν
the kingdom
Strong's:
G932
Word #:
18 of 20
properly, royalty, i.e., (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively)
Cross References
Historical Context
Jesus's statement would have scandalized His audience. Burial of parents was a Torah duty that even excused priests from holiness requirements (Leviticus 21:2-3). Yet Jesus claims authority to override this, revealing that kingdom allegiance transcends Mosaic law. This principle resurfaces in Jesus's teaching that hating father and mother is required for discipleship (Luke 14:26)—hyperbolic language meaning that loyalty to Christ must relativize all earthly relationships, even the most sacred.
Questions for Reflection
- What does Jesus's distinction between the spiritually dead and the living reveal about the two humanities—those in Adam and those in Christ—and how this fundamental division reorders all other loyalties?
- How does Christ's command to prioritize kingdom proclamation over family obligations challenge modern evangelicalism's domestication of discipleship into family values religion rather than radical kingdom mission?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Let the dead bury their dead (Ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς, Aphes tous nekrous thapsai tous heautōn nekrous)—this shocking statement uses 'dead' in two senses. Let the spiritually dead (those without eternal life) bury the physically dead. Those who lack resurrection life can handle death's logistics; those whom Christ calls to kingdom proclamation must prioritize the urgent mission. Jesus isn't commanding callousness but demanding radical priority: the dead can tend the dead, but the living must preach life.
But go thou and preach the kingdom of God (σὺ δὲ ἀπελθὼν διάγγελλε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, sy de apelthōn diangelle tēn basileian tou theou)—the you is emphatic: 'but you, in contrast to the spiritually dead.' The verb diangellō means to proclaim thoroughly, publish widely. The man is called to herald the kingdom's arrival—the most urgent message in history. No earthly duty, however sacred, outranks this commission. Jesus teaches that authentic discipleship recognizes the gospel's urgency and the kingdom's absolute claim, relativizing even family obligations.