ISB ~ Matthew 8 v22

Follow me:Discipleship is based on the imitation of Christ (11:29). Unlike the apostles, who left their occupations and families (4:19, 22; 9:9), this would-be follower of Jesus is hesitant to embrace the demanding call (8:21).

bury their own dead:Burial was a sacred duty in ancient Judaism (Gen 50:5; Tob 4:3-4). Jesus singles out the custom to emphasize the greater importance of discipleship. Allegiance to Jesus must outweigh even family commitments (10:37; 19:29; Lk 14:26). Those who are spiritually dead (i.e., clinging to worldly concerns) can bury the physically dead. Jesus does not thereby undermine the propriety of burial but uses it as a stepping-stone to illustrate the higher demands of the Christian life.

• The episode resembles Elijah’s call of Elisha to be his follower (1 Kings 19:19-21). Unlike Elijah, however, Jesus denies the request to fulfill parental duties, showing that discipleship in the New Covenant has higher demands than in the Old.

• Following Jesus, the Church considers burial a corporal work of mercy (CCC 2447).