Matthew 8:21

Another. Perhaps this man had been a casual, part-time disciple, and now proposed that he be accepted as a permanent, full-time disciple. In contrast with the would-be disciple of vs. 19, 20, who tended to be temperamental and to act hastily from impulse, this man — judging from Christ’s response to him — apparently was of precisely the opposite disposition, slow, lethargic, and inclined to procrastinate.

Bury my father. In all probability the father was currently enjoying good health, and the time of his death was indefinitely in the future. If the man’s father was not dead, but very much alive, Christ’s words must be taken figuratively, not literally. Probably this would-be follower’s request was either an excuse for not following Christ at all or an attempt to postpone the time when it would be necessary to forsake all in order to follow Him (cf. Luke 5:11, 28). If the father were already dead, it is extremely unlikely that Christ would have ordered the neglect of what, in Oriental lands even today, is considered one of the most sacred duties devolving upon a son. Furthermore, in a warm climate the burial of the dead is performed without delay, and if, indeed, this man’s father had died, it is most improbable that he himself would have been listening to Jesus. Obviously, both the man and Jesus anticipate the father’s death at some future time.

This man was overcautious as the first man was overenthusiastic. He said to Christ, as it were, “I would like to follow you, but I cannot do so while my father lives.” In reply, Christ said to him, so to speak, “I fully recognize your obligation to your parents; nevertheless, your obligation to the kingdom of heaven takes precedence even over that.” The claims of the gospel transcend those of family ties — not that the latter are relaxed in the least, but rather that they are not to be made an excuse for failing to heed Christ’s call to service (see on Mark 7:11, 12; Luke 14:26).