bury my father
Luke 9:59
9:59 bury my father. Jesus’ seemingly harsh answer to this man recognized that his reason for not following Christ was essentially a rejection. This is an expression, used even today in the Middle East, to indicate the eldest son’s responsibility to remain with his family until the father dies and he can settle his estate. His younger brothers and sisters are considered as actually “dead,” as far as this particular responsibility is concerned. However, it is possible for the parents to go to the city elders and arrange for all the siblings to share this responsibility equally with the firstborn. Then those who had been, as it were, “dead,” could indeed “bury their dead” (Luke 9:60). But see also note on Matthew 8:22.