"Let the Dead Bury Their Dead" (Lk 9:60): A New Perspective

Abstract

To the ears of first century hearers and to Asians, Jesus’ harsh saying, “Let the dead bury their own dead,” is not only insensitive and unsympathetic but a blatant transgression of law and tradition. Evidence from the Hebrew Bible to rabbinic sources and even from the wider Greco-Roman sources supports the importance to burying the dead, especially one’s parents. Given the importance of the sacred obligation and cultural expectation to bury one’s parents, Jesus’ statement is both shocking and scandalous. To properly interpret this difficult saying, appropriate contexts are needed. The author demonstrates that the most plausible social context is not connected to the ritual of the primary burial but rather the secondary burial. The practice of secondary burial, which is the gathering of decomposed remains (bones) into ossuaries, primarily served as a fashion statement to enhance the social status of the wealthy class residing primarily in Jerusalem. Contrary to various popular interpretations, the author proposes that the saying is not about the subordination of family ties or about the opposition of filial piety; rather, with this saying Jesus severely opposed the Roman burial practice that had little or no religious significance but rather promoted a practice that preserved the social status of an elite wealthy class. Consequently, the social context of secondary burial provides a new lens and perspective to correctly interpret and understand one of Jesus’ most problematic and enigmatic sayings.