William Gladstone, the astute English statesman, once said, “Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the character of its people, their respect for laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.”
The changes that arc taking place in our society today have an impact on social behavior and customs, particularly the funeral and burial of the dead. These changes affect both the believer and the unbeliever.
The Influence of Science
Social patterns are influenced by higher education as students leave home and attend colleges in all parts of the country, qualifying themselves for positions throughout our land. The mobility of our society tends to separate families, and consequently home relationships are not as sacred as they have been traditionally. Welfare and medical types of government support have left their mark on funeral customs. That influence will be greater as time goes on.
Scientific advances in the use of the parts of the human body for medical research is beginning to change the value regarding the remains. Scientific progress in embalming techniques has had its influence on our present customs too.
Scriptural Examples of Burial
As Christians we have a philosophy of life which is directed by Scripture. If there is an answer in the Bible that could direct us to the proper disposal of the dead, we should by all means be guided by that example. Allow me to cite several examples of burial from Scripture:
Sarah. Genesis 23:19–20. “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, and the field and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession for a burying place.”
Abraham. Genesis 25:7. “And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron.” Abraham looked to the future and provided a burial place for his family and descendants. At his passing the families of Isaac and Ishmael came together to show their love and affection for their father. They buried him in the place that he had provided.
Isaac. Genesis 35:28, 29. “And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” The family atmosphere had often been turbulent. Jacob and Esau had hated each other to the extent that Esau had determined to kill his brother. At the lime of their father’s death, they were reconciled as they came together for the burial.
Rachel. Genesis 35:19. “And Rachel died and was buried in the way of Eprath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.”
Jacob. Genesis 50:7–9. “And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house.” Thirty-six hundred years ago this funeral procession went two hundred miles and carried the embalmed body of Jacob to the family burying place in the cave of Machpelah. Jacob had left instructions for his burial.
Joseph. Genesis 50:24–26. “And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry lip my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” Here is a reference made to embalming, the use of a coffin, and instructions for burial with his family to await the final resurrection of the body.
Moses. Deuteronomy 34:5, 6. “So Moses the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-Peor; but no man knoweth of his sepulchre to this day.” The Gible also tells us how the archangel Michael contended with the devil over the body of Moses Jude 9). The bodies of the people of the Lord are important in his sight.
Many more examples of burial could be cited from Scripture. The burial of our Lord Jesus Himself is strong indication of the place and emphasis of burial in Scripture. Indeed, in the account of the anointing: of the body of Jesus by Mary in Matthew 26, we find that Jesus rebuked the disciples who claimed that this anointing was a waste. But Jesus said, “For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” Many of the customs used in Christian funerals today are patterned after the examples shown by the people of God as recorded in Scripture. Is it then a failure to exercise stewardship in death if we simply ignore all these examples of the burial of the dead in Scripture?
Scriptural Teaching on Cremation
Does Scripture teach anything about cremation? Listen to the prophet Amos. In Chapter 2:1–3 he writes, “Thus saith Jehovah, for three transgressions of Moab, yea for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edam into lime. But I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of trumpet.” This passage clearly shows God’s displeasure with cremation. God poured out his wrath on those who cremated the bones of the king of Edom. Again in II Kings 23:16–18 we are told that King Josiah was about to burn the bones of a body which he found in a sepulchre. However, when he was informed that they were the bones of a prophet of God, he spared them from the disgrace of cremation.
I submit that Scripture does have many illustrations of the burial of God’s people to indicate that burial is the preferred method of caring for the deceased. It seems to me that those families who prefer immediate cremation with no visitation of friends or religious services are doing so in an effort to escape reality. Aside from the spiritual comfort which Christians may enjoy, they also deny themselves the grief therapy that a funeral experience affords.
Stewardship in Life
Stewardship in death should be consistent with stewardship in life. The cost of funeral services should be an optional matter. An ethical funeral director will permit a family to exercise its own wishes entirely in the manner of the service conducted. Because of his experience and training, the funeral director is able to give advice and suggestions. But his first concern is to follow the preference of the bereaved.
Thus the Christian must be consistent with the principles which are found in Scripture respecting life as well as death. And those principles point to a conception of the body as well as the soul as the image of God. Since the body is part of that image of God, it must be cared for in life as well as in death. And that fact emphasizes the place of the Christian burial practice.
Adrian Geenen is a funeral director in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The changes that arc taking place in our society today have an impact on social behavior and customs, particularly the funeral and burial of the dead. These changes affect both the believer and the unbeliever.
The Influence of Science
Social patterns are influenced by higher education as students leave home and attend colleges in all parts of the country, qualifying themselves for positions throughout our land. The mobility of our society tends to separate families, and consequently home relationships are not as sacred as they have been traditionally. Welfare and medical types of government support have left their mark on funeral customs. That influence will be greater as time goes on.
Scientific advances in the use of the parts of the human body for medical research is beginning to change the value regarding the remains. Scientific progress in embalming techniques has had its influence on our present customs too.
Scriptural Examples of Burial
As Christians we have a philosophy of life which is directed by Scripture. If there is an answer in the Bible that could direct us to the proper disposal of the dead, we should by all means be guided by that example. Allow me to cite several examples of burial from Scripture:
Sarah. Genesis 23:19–20. “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, and the field and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession for a burying place.”
Abraham. Genesis 25:7. “And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron.” Abraham looked to the future and provided a burial place for his family and descendants. At his passing the families of Isaac and Ishmael came together to show their love and affection for their father. They buried him in the place that he had provided.
Isaac. Genesis 35:28, 29. “And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” The family atmosphere had often been turbulent. Jacob and Esau had hated each other to the extent that Esau had determined to kill his brother. At the lime of their father’s death, they were reconciled as they came together for the burial.
Rachel. Genesis 35:19. “And Rachel died and was buried in the way of Eprath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.”
Jacob. Genesis 50:7–9. “And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house.” Thirty-six hundred years ago this funeral procession went two hundred miles and carried the embalmed body of Jacob to the family burying place in the cave of Machpelah. Jacob had left instructions for his burial.
Joseph. Genesis 50:24–26. “And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry lip my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” Here is a reference made to embalming, the use of a coffin, and instructions for burial with his family to await the final resurrection of the body.
Moses. Deuteronomy 34:5, 6. “So Moses the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-Peor; but no man knoweth of his sepulchre to this day.” The Gible also tells us how the archangel Michael contended with the devil over the body of Moses Jude 9). The bodies of the people of the Lord are important in his sight.
Many more examples of burial could be cited from Scripture. The burial of our Lord Jesus Himself is strong indication of the place and emphasis of burial in Scripture. Indeed, in the account of the anointing: of the body of Jesus by Mary in Matthew 26, we find that Jesus rebuked the disciples who claimed that this anointing was a waste. But Jesus said, “For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” Many of the customs used in Christian funerals today are patterned after the examples shown by the people of God as recorded in Scripture. Is it then a failure to exercise stewardship in death if we simply ignore all these examples of the burial of the dead in Scripture?
Scriptural Teaching on Cremation
Does Scripture teach anything about cremation? Listen to the prophet Amos. In Chapter 2:1–3 he writes, “Thus saith Jehovah, for three transgressions of Moab, yea for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edam into lime. But I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of trumpet.” This passage clearly shows God’s displeasure with cremation. God poured out his wrath on those who cremated the bones of the king of Edom. Again in II Kings 23:16–18 we are told that King Josiah was about to burn the bones of a body which he found in a sepulchre. However, when he was informed that they were the bones of a prophet of God, he spared them from the disgrace of cremation.
I submit that Scripture does have many illustrations of the burial of God’s people to indicate that burial is the preferred method of caring for the deceased. It seems to me that those families who prefer immediate cremation with no visitation of friends or religious services are doing so in an effort to escape reality. Aside from the spiritual comfort which Christians may enjoy, they also deny themselves the grief therapy that a funeral experience affords.
Stewardship in Life
Stewardship in death should be consistent with stewardship in life. The cost of funeral services should be an optional matter. An ethical funeral director will permit a family to exercise its own wishes entirely in the manner of the service conducted. Because of his experience and training, the funeral director is able to give advice and suggestions. But his first concern is to follow the preference of the bereaved.
Thus the Christian must be consistent with the principles which are found in Scripture respecting life as well as death. And those principles point to a conception of the body as well as the soul as the image of God. Since the body is part of that image of God, it must be cared for in life as well as in death. And that fact emphasizes the place of the Christian burial practice.
Adrian Geenen is a funeral director in Kalamazoo, Michigan.