Matthew 8:22 (WEB)

Passage

But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:23 When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him.

Matthew 8:24 Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "said", "follow", "leave", "dead", and "bury". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Another of his disciples said to him..." into verse 23's "When he got into a boat his...", so "jesus" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.