THE FAMILY ALTAR
"And He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer
me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the
dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:59-60.
At first sight it seems very unkind in our Lord not to permit
this disciple first to go and bury his father. But we have here
a telling illustration of the solemn truth our Savior teaches, Matt.
10, 37 : "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not
worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me
is not worthy of Me." Neither father nor mother nor the dearest
human being can save us from sin and God's eternal wrath. That
has been done alone by our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence our duty
to Him is paramount to everything else, and we must love Him
more even than father or mother. There are others, the spiritually
dead, the unbelieving, unconverted children of this world, who can
bury their dead, that is to say, regard human customs as more
important than the concerns of the spirit. Christ's followers have
a more important thing to do. Their supreme duty is to preach
the kingdom of God. That is spoken not only of the ordained
ministers of the Word, but of all followers of Christ, of all Chris-
tians. Jesus wants no hesitating, worldly-minded "grave-diggers"
for His disciples, but living witnesses who confess Him and His
saving truth by word and deed and thus extend the kingdom of
God. They must break with the spiritually dead, with the un-
believing worldlings and their dead works, and unhesitatingly do
the will of their Lord at all times, permitting no interference of
human ties and human interests. Such are the faithful servants
who shall hear their Master say to them on His great day : "Well
done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matt. 25, 21.)
