Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Hi Friends,

Today I am writing about a vision that the Lord gave me a few weeks ago. There were four parts, but I am writing about only one part today. It concerns the spiritual condition of us in the church and those outside the church.

The Vision

I saw a skeleton standing behind a reception station, talking, giving directions to someone who was out of my view. The station was rather large like a nurse’s station in a hospital. I believe the skeleton was that of a woman. She was very animated in her dialog while also sharing papers with the person that I could not see. 

What does this vision mean?

The Skeleton

The skeleton appears to have life, for she is talking and giving instructions.  Obviously, the Lord is using a skeleton to speak something about the person or group that she represents. Skeletons are the remains of a life that once was. It is proof that there was life at one time.

In the Bible we find many references to dead men’s bones, comparing them with life.  One very popular scripture appears in the Old Testament, Ezekiel Chapter 7:

“Can these bones live?”  The bones are those of slain soldiers in Ezekiel’s vision.  It is the Lord who asks the prophet, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answers, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy: “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!”

In this passage of scripture, we see that the dry bones are those of the  people of Israel, who were at the time in captivity and had lost all hope of ever returning to their homeland.  They felt  abandoned by God.  But in Ezekiel’s vision, God promised to return them to the land of Israel, and to unite them as one nation, no longer divided into Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom).  He promised to put his Spirit in them and for them to be ruled by the Lord’s anointed.

“My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd.   They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.  They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived.  They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.”  Ezekiel 37:24-25

Of course the Lord was speaking of Jesus, for he is the “Son of David,” the Messiah, the prince forever.

However, I believe that this vision is more about the spiritual condition of the people in our nation, and in our churches. This scripture describes what is at the heart of the vision’s message:  “Let the dead bury the dead.” Luke 9:58 

The Lord shows us a worker, behind the reception desk, who represents many people living, working and functioning as live human beings, but the spirit within them is dead.

Let us look at the context of that scripture:

The Cost of Following Jesus

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’”

“To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”  

“Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’  Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:57-62

The three men with whom the Lord spoke were probably just a sampling of the many people who intended to follow Jesus.  But there are personal costs in becoming his disciple, even today.

The first man Jesus spoke with, sounded as if he were ready to drop whatever he was doing and follow the Lord.  But the Lord knew his heart, and wanted the man to understand that it was easy to make a commitment, but difficult to keep it.  Jesus knew that when it came to creature comforts, his lifestyle might become a deal breaker for the man. Jesus made it clear that his life was not one of comfort.  Jesus was homeless, and walked wherever the Father led him.  There was no dinner waiting for him at the end of the day, and there was no hot shower, and no bed in which to rest.  

The second man was invited by Jesus, to follow him, but he made an excuse.  He could have used anything as an excuse, but he chose the care of his father as a worthwhile excuse. It may have been that he was not ready to make a commitment to the Lord. Or he preferred the familiar: the family life and the everyday routine.  Many people do not like making commits to the unknown, and unfamiliar.  So he said, “First let me go and bury my father.”  But Jesus chose him to be a disciple, to follow him, and to fulfill his calling.  The Lord was calling him to “proclaim the kingdom of God.”  He did not let the man off so easily either, he said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  What did the man decide?  The scripture doesn’t say.  I hope the man did the right thing.  However, I question—if the man left the Lord, and intended to return sometime later, after his dad died, would he indeed return?  Or might the cares of the family business, and the comfort of his routine, take him far from his calling?

I think that Jesus knew the answer, for it is found in his response to the third man.  The third  man said that he wanted to go home and say his “goodbyes.”  But Jesus knew that if he went back to see his family, they would talk him out of making such a commitment, for he said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  

Can you imagine the Lord saying to you, “If you look back, you are not fit for the kingdom of God.” ? All three of these men were contemplating following the Lord. Yet not one of them was truly prepared or committed. As Christians, we must also evaluate our commitment.  Are we following the Lord as he has instructed us?  Or are we expecting him to follow our dreams and our adventures instead?

There are a few other scriptures that speak of being spiritually dead.  We expect that those outside of church are spiritually dead, for they have never given their lives to the Lord, nor received his forgiveness, nor have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. They are not born again, and so are alive only in their bodies.  Their spirits are still unregenerated. 

Yet is it possible for those in the church to be on the one hand born again, and at the same time spiritually dead? I believe so—here is an example from the Book of Revelation:

To the Church in Sardis

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. “

The church in Sardis is one of seven churches that are specifically addressed in the Book of Revelation. These are people who are followers of the Lord, believers. Yet as we see in the continuing passage there was sin in the camp. “Remember, then, what you received and heard.  Keep it, and repent.  If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.  Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.  The one who overcomes will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.  I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3:1-6

Jesus warns the churches to repent of their sinfulness, holding out hope to all who would repent. These believers in Sardis somehow thought that they could engage in sinful activities or have sinful attitudes, and be right with God.

Could it be that those in Sardis were simply going through the motions.  Perhaps they had a great worship band, and well attended services, so that everyone spoke highly of their church, declaring them to be “alive.”  But, only God knows a person’s heart. Perhaps they were like the people of Isaiah’s time. “These people draw near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is but rules taught by men.” Isaiah 29:13

Our American churches can be filled with people who are there for a variety of reasons.  One might be in church to “be seen,” to earn the respect of others, as an upstanding member of the community.  A politician may attend church to get close to people he wants to influence.  A professional man may come to church to build his clientele. 

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’’’ Matthew 7:21-23

Even in the early church there were people who became believers, but never put to death their sinful lusts of the flesh.  An example of this is in the Book of Acts.

Simon the Sorcerer

“Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”  They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.  But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!  You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.  Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.  For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.  Acts 8:9-25

Simon was still a new believer, he had not yet matured, and was still living as he had before his conversion.  He still had the desire to be in the limelight, to be a person of influence and wealth. These are desires of the flesh that are in opposition to the Spirit of God.

When we come to the Lord, we need to commit to changing the things in our lives that dishonor him. We have to leave our sinful ways behind, surrender our wills to the Lord, and renew our minds with the Word of God.  Only in keeping fellowship with the Lord through prayer, and allowing the Holy Spirit to have his way in our lives, can we live a life that is pleasing to him.

Living for God or living for ourselves is a choice.  So let us choose wisely.

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”  Romans 8:13

To be dead spiritually, is to have no awareness of the presence of God, or a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.  To be spiritually dead is to be aware of only the physical realm and the body with its needs, and desires.  The spiritually dead have no desire to please God or to place their trust in him.  They have no remorse for their sins, for they do not experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit, nor acknowledge sin as sin.  They create their own moral compass, deciding for themselves what is right and what is wrong.  As a result, they do whatever they please.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians compares the acts of the flesh, which result as a person indulges his sinful nature, to the fruit of the Spirit, which develops in a person who yields himself to the Spirit of God.  

Acts of the Flesh

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Galatians 5:16-21

The Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”   Galatians 5:22-26

So even though a person becomes born again, if they do not nurture a relationship with the Lord, through prayer and reading the word of God, they will never really make a break with their sinful nature. They will find themselves indulging in their worldly passions and desires and become enslaved to sin all over again. Jesus spoke of this in his parable:

Parable of the Sower

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:3-9

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:   When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.   The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.   But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.   The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.   But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23

If we sow the seed, we need to encourage it to take root in a person’s life. We need to pray that the person will understand the importance of becoming a disciple for life. That is why the Lord said “Go and make disciples…”

In Conclusion

The vision of the skeleton behind the reception desk, I believe has been given to us, as a warning, for too many in the church are complacent and have let the oil in their lamps run dry.  They have become like the world and are no longer living for God.  They live to please themselves.  

What do we do in response to this?

We pray for those in the church, to wake up and see that our Savior could return at any moment. We cannot procrastinate and make excuses for ourselves, saying that we don’t have the time, or that now is not the time for action. We must remember that the Lord did not seek convenience or comfort while he was here. It cost him his very life, to purchase your life with his blood.

For those outside the church, we need to share the gospel and help them to appreciate the Lord’s sacrifice for sins, and his promise of reconciliation and eternal life. We need to encourage them to make knowing the Lord a priority in their lives and live as his disciples.

If we do not have a sense of urgency then we are certainly not part of the solution— we are part of the problem. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

So, for us who may not be where we need to be in our relationship with God, we can stop and reflect, take inventory of our attitudes and our actions, pray to the Lord for his forgiveness and make a deliberate change in our direction. Let’s pursue him with all our hearts, giving him our full devotion. Let’s give our relationship with him the highest priority, for I believe that he is coming soon.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7