Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 8:21

"And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father." — Matthew 8:21 (ASV)

And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Now this man was a disciple, mark you, and, according to Luke, the Lord had said to him, Follow me (Luke 9:59), yet he urged this plea, Suffer me first to go and bury my father.

The first man was too fast, the second was too slow. This person was a disciple. Jesus sent him on a mission.

He was not ready to start. He must do something else first. That something had to do with a dead relative. It was a grave fault to put the tomb before the Savior.

His father would surely be buried by some other member of the family, but no one else could obey the command of Christ that this disciple had received. We may leave work that another can do when our Lord appoints us a unique personal service. It must be Christ first and father next. Living commands must take precedence over duties to the dead. Soldiers cannot be excused from war on account of domestic claims.