Featured What Do Matthew 8:22 and Luke 9:60 Teach about Burial?

It does have an inherent meaning. That is what I claimed. I said "words have meaning".

The word "bury" (θάπτω) in Matthew is referencing traditional Hebrew funeral rites. The disciple was asking to "bury" his father prior to following Christ.

What did "bury" mean here?

The duty of burial, although primarily an obligation on the heirs (Gen. 23:3 and 25:9), ultimately rests with the whole community. The son had a duty within this context. His father's body had to be washed, wrapped, and placed in a tomb. Afterwards there were rites that consisted several days. The son also had a traditional period of morning (the text does not indicate if the son was seeking this observance).

As far as cremation, there is no biblical evidence that cremation, while not a typical practice, was considered wrong.

The men of Jabesh-Gilead burned the bodies of Saul and his sons. This is not spoken of as a desecration, but as part of their loyalty to their overlord (I Sam. 31:9–13; II Sam. 2:5).

 

2 Samuel 2:5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed of the Lord because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him."


How did the men of Jabesh-gilead bury Saul?

They cremated the bodies and took the bones, buried the bones and fasted.

Where was David's outcry at the men cremating those bodies? Why did David thank them rather than cursing them for burning the bodies?

 

Reasonable people do willing share their educational background, as that will giver others an ideal of where they are coming from.

By hiding that info (if you even have any) will make most to disregard you opinions.

 

You believe the text is teaching about burial methods???

 

Is that a "yes"? You actually interpret the passage as teaching about burial methods?

 

Yes. The passage us s the word "burial" and Jesus tells the disciple to just follow Him.

But Jesus' teaching was in no way a teaching about burial. It was His responces to the man wanting to bury his father before following.

By your logic Matthew 21 is teaching us that we should ride donkeys.

What makes your eisegesis even more wrong is had you a knowledge of Systematic Theology you would have gone to passages where men were praised in Scripture for cremating bodies and then burying the bones.

 

The first was to the man to let the dead bury their dead. You do understand that "dead" does not mean the same thing in the verse, right? What He was teaching had nothing to do with the dead and then burying their dead. It had to do with leaving worldly affairs to follow Him.

Do you believe Jesus' request to travel via donkey was a command that we travel by donkey? Of course not, because you read into the Bible what you want to see.

The fact is Scripture commends the men who cremated Saul. God is immutable (this means He does not change).

 

By your logic he should have condemned them for cremating the body. But the fact is what mattered in their tradition was the bones (not the body).

The Hebrew people buried their dead by laying them in a tomb, head first, and then retrieving the bones. They would wash the bones and then there would be a second burial.

Are you opposed to embalming people (i.e., trying to prevent what God said would occur)? What about coffins and vaults? Are they also wrong because they are associated with paganism?