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Christianity Today, April (Web-only), 2009 |

The Empty Tomb and the Emptied Urn

What the wounds of Jesus can — and can't — tell us about our resurrection bodies.

Russell D. Moore | posted 4/07/2009 08:29AM

I inhaled as I stepped behind the pulpit, ready for a fight. It was a sermon series on the end times, and I knew there'd be controversy. I looked out at the elderly man in the fourth pew with his ScofieldReference ...

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Tim Stevens

Posted: April 18, 2009 2:01 AM

The body is just the chucked " peanut" shell after death. The seed of life has been repositioned in either heaven or hell.Whither the spirit has gone does never prevent its reconstitution into a body. It is really the spirt and not the body upon which God reconstructs a new body in the same way he constructs a body enclosing the spirit in the womb. That is why death and hell gives up the dead that are there. That is why the graves will be opened and the dead in Christ will rise first. However cremation has a religious affinity associated with those who adhere to cremation as a right of passage of the spirit into eternity until it may find another body in reincarnation. I believe that natural decay of a buried body is well precedented throughout scripture and that this is still God's pattern for Christian burial. Some parts of the body- the hair for example does not decay and bones do also take a long time. The key to resurrection is really being in Christ. This is the DNA of life.

Xinosaj

Posted: April 14, 2009 9:43 AM

This article is pointless, and will do nothing except prompt more pointless, divisive arguments in local churches. The apostle Paul was explicit that things like this don't matter, and ARE TO BE KEPT AS PRIVATE OPINIONS. Articles like this defy the New Testament's explicit command. But since we're already discussing the topic, here's something that the author failed to consider: modern American burial practices involve intensive embalming, and the concrete bunkers we store the coffins in will ensure that the elements of the decayed body will not rejoin the dust of the earth for thousands of years. This is plainly against the Old Testament's intent, and makes modern American funerals something more akin to ancient Egyptian mummification rites than Biblical spirituality. We can't bury the way we did in the Bible because there are too many people and burying them in the earth would contaminate the ground water. Cremation's by far the better option today.

TM	Posted: April 13, 2009 8:01 PM


2+ pages of...what? I have no idea what exactly the author was trying to communicate. Cremation- bad, I think. but, in the end, no different than burial? A waste of time.

TJ Smith

Posted: April 12, 2009 11:45 PM

I usually find myself in thankful agreement with the author and thus am surprised by this issue. Perhaps his antipathy to cremation is due to the (unstated) reasons for which North Americans are pursuing cremation; I didn't see any compelling biblical mandate for burial in his or any other article. Many billions of people have been cremated; by choice and culture many believers over the last 2000 years have been honourably cremated and will be a tribute to the redeemed creation in eternity just as those who were buried. Pastor Moore is usually convinced and convincing from the Word of God, but I only see cultural mandates here.

alison

Posted: April 10, 2009 8:55 PM


It seems to me that if there is a problem with cremation, then there is also a problem with organ donation or donating your body to science.

Pastor in Nevada

Posted: April 09, 2009 12:16 PM


I agree with Paul - why use most of a life insurance policy on a funeral, casket, grave site? Churches should go back to having their own cemetery for their congregants & family members. Cut the costs & maintain the biblical hope of the resurrection for your fellowship of believers - I also see nothing wrong or un-biblical in cremation, do what U can afford to do.

Ephrem Hagos

Posted: April 09, 2009 6:41 AM

First of all, the wounds of Jesus are not at all part of Jesus' glorious resurrection appearance but part and parcel of the ridiculously less important, anticlimactic post-resurrection appearances which served to rehabilitate the unbelieving disciples. Secondly, the defining moment of Jesus Christ, as the "Son of the living God", was not at the empty tomb but in "great glory" right at his death on the cross (John 8: 21-28; 19:30-37). Therefore, speaking of the empty tomb is no different from "looking for the living among the dead" (Luke 24:5). Thirdly, eternal life (immortality) is ours just for "looking at him whom they pierced" (John 19:37). In projection, Scriptures and God's power say "When the dead rise to life, they will be like the angels in heaven" without physical characteristics and functions (Matt. 22: 29-32). For cases of resurrection bodies in glory, check with Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration with Jesus in Luke 9:28-36)! Who needs our physical bodies anyway?

Tricia

Posted: April 08, 2009 2:05 PM


I agree with the author on everything. I do not believe in the Rapture. I do not see any Bible verse that tells us this is going ot happen except one taken out of context. Jesus is only coming back once & that is at the end of time.

William A

Posted: April 08, 2009 10:53 AM

I found this article to be pretty thought provoking. I'm not sure where I stand on the issue of burial vs. cremation. I've heard or read statements from more pastors stating that they consider burial more appropriate, but I don't know of any clear biblical statement that cremation is wrong and burial of the dead is required of Christians.I guess I personally plan to be buried, but it doesn't seem that important an issue to me. I don't think our physical bodies being in a particular state or condition after death much affects our resurrection bodies in the future. After all, unless Jesus return within a few years of my death there won't be much left of my earthly body whether buried, cremated, or whatever.I don't think my worn out non-living earthly remains will be ME after I die any more than hair I leave behind on the floor at the barber shop after a haircut is ME now.

John C. Samples

Posted: April 08, 2009 9:23 AM


Brother Moore, Thank you for a well written message discussing cremation and the Christian perspective. My brother and my son were cremated. My wife and I often discuss the subject and as a minister I am often questioned about the 'christian' view of cremation. Your thoughts are well organized and clearly stated. Thank you.

Peter K Chow

Posted: April 08, 2009 9:05 AM

In China, every dead person is cremated according to law. That's because China has a billion more people than the USA. In other words, China is much poorer in terms of a material resource--land. There are approximately 50 million Christians in China, and when they die, will be cremated. The position of favoring burial over cremation is tentamount to saying that God favors the rich and discriminates against the poor. Or perhaps it's an argument for contraception and population control?

Dan	Posted: April 08, 2009 7:07 AM

Interesting article. As a pastor, I just concluded a study on 1 Corinthians 15, Paul's defense of the bodily resurrection. While Paul says much about this subject I think one must remain reserved or not too dogmatic on the subject. There's an element of mystery to the resurrection body that will stand until the final day. As John the apostle said:"1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ESV The resurrection body of Jesus that appeared to his disciples immediately after his death was rather muted when compared to the body he seems to have after his glorification by the Father. Rev 1:14,15 The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ESV

Peggy of Calif.

Posted: April 07, 2009 9:50 PM

I so appreciated every prior remark and agree with each. My husband and I are believers, Precept Bible Teachers and Funeral Directors. We have had many discussions along the line of this article. We see nothing in the Word that prohibits cremation though the burial process is more representative of the Christian faith and hope. Our concern is that the grieving family is able to honor their loved one with dignity and that which helps their grief process whether it be burial or cremation. Truly the funeral is for the living. Sometimes we impose our final wishes on our children without finding out what they might feel about cremation or burial leaving families to struggle with a process they do not wish to carry out. But most importantly is to be able to celebrate the life of our loved one whatever the process may be. Don't rush to get things over, take your time to make prayerful decisions. We have seen glorious times and family healing during this heart opening time.

JustSomeKingdomDude

Posted: April 07, 2009 9:13 PM

Why there is any controversy about this is a mystery to me. Let the dead bury their dead. As for me, when this mortal coil is shed, I couldn't be less concerned with what becomes of the tissue. Hang it out to dry, feed it to the crows, cremate and put the ashes in a coffee can ("The Heavenly Blend"). Whatever. People ought to be unashamed to do what serves their family or community best, and no body has the right to hassle them about their choice. The Resurrection promise has never been about the dead, but about the Living!

Maryann

Posted: April 07, 2009 8:16 PM

He wrote: "You would have thought I had tried to lead the service through an invitation hymn to the Blessed Virgin (with every head bowed and every eye closed)." I guess Catholic bashing is okay, huh? Can you imagine the outcry of the Left Behind crowd if a priest wrote something derogatory about the Rapture? And get this: imagine Jesus in Heaven getting really annoyed and saying, "So...do you think you can make fun of my mother?" The writer showed no respect for the mother of Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, and to the members of the biggest Christian denomination in the world. He also showed a deficiency in writing skills in using a cheap shot instead of a better analogy. But then, the article overall, is empty, rambling and pointless.

Nora Charles

Posted: April 07, 2009 6:44 PM

,"I find it only controversial in my own church among people who are afraid of death in the first place." I agree Gretchen, my elderly Irish Catholic grandmother is horrified by cremation (she's also horrified by the idea of making a will too). My beautiful devoutly Christian mother had elected to be cremated when she died in October but my stepfather didn't think to read the will and she was buried instead. To be honest, burial/cremation, I don't think it matters to God. He's greater than all that.

Roy	Posted: April 07, 2009 6:30 PM

The concept of resurrection being back to a body similar to our present earthly one is surely a nonsense and not consistent with most scriptures on the subject. In Matthew 22 Jesus states plainly that at the resurrection people will be like the angels in heaven. In John 14 Jesus states he is going to prepare a place for us and will come back to take us to be with him. 1 Thess 4 states that we will rise to meet the Lord in the air and we will be with him for ever. I believe in a physical resurrection but not in the dimensions of this universe. These dimensions of space/time and mass/energy were created by God for our present existence here and He and Heaven exist in totally different dimensions. At the resurrection we will be with him, resurrected into heaven's dimensions. Therefore it matters physically not at all whether we are cremated or buried. Jesus' resurrection into his earthly form was necessary because this was the only way it could be observed by humans.

Dr George Muedeking

Posted: April 07, 2009 5:21 PM

Burial rather than cremation symbolizes the Christian hope: 1. In the famous Resurrection chapter, I Cor. 15, Paul uses the planted seed as the analogy of the planted body awaiting new life in Christ. 2. Cremation symbolically endorses the gnostic heresy against which the Church has fought even to this day--the material body is worthy only of degradation and despite; the real goal of our earthly pilgrimage is to deny the goodness of God's total creation--that is, we should prefer Neo-platonism and the spiritualism of the Eastern religions define our relationship to God, not the revelation of the God found in the two Testaments for our way to God. The Hindu burning of the widow's pyre, Sati, is a good illustration of this preference.

Heavens_2_Murgatroyd

Posted: April 07, 2009 4:51 PM

Oh, please. You people need to get over yourselves. Even a child who has reached the age of comprehension will tell you that the god of your bible is more interested in what you do while you're in your body, than what you do with it once it has out-lived its usefulness. If you people spent half the time caring for your neighbor as you do buzzing about issues like "pre-tribultion," "rapture," "end-times" and other malarkey, we would have something close to heaven on earth already. Then none would need to give a fiddler's tweak about cremation or burial.

Bethany

Posted: April 07, 2009 4:42 PM

An interesting and thought-provoking article. I believe that when Scripture is not clear on a subject, we must be careful to make our own thoughtful decisions based on prayer and reflection, and hesitate to tell others what they "must" do. I find little in Scripture to defend the process of pumping the body with formaldehyde and preservatives, then giving it makeup and dressing it. However, if that gives peace to the deceased to know ahead of time that will occur, fine. If it aids those who mourn, then great. For myself, I believe in the bodily resurrection and also have directed that my body be cremated. From the dust of the soil we were created, and to the dust my broken and corrupt earthly body will return. Hallelujah!

Stephen

Posted: April 07, 2009 4:41 PM

Dr. Moore's article provides a good beginning point for this discussion on cremation, one which needs to continue. Is it possible that in our pragmatic culture we value the body too little and the appearance of the body too much? Let's continue it by consider that we came from the dust of the earth and we return to the dust of the earth; and by remembering how the Jews honor the body of the deceased and are with it until burial. A very meaningful practice we followed when my friend died. And wasn't it the Christians in Rome who gathered bodies discarded in the trash and gave them Christian burials? Is the movement toward cremation a subtle form of Gnosticism among us? Our Kenyan brothers and sisters would never dream of cremation because that is what the Hindus do. Christians don't. While this is not a matter of sin or ethics, we do run counter to our Christian tradition when we cremate.

Brother Jon

Posted: April 07, 2009 3:25 PM

I glad that I am finding Godly scholars who aren't afraid to tackle a tough issue like this. I've just finished reading N. T. Wright's Surprised By Hope and leading a study group through during lent. I was amazed by how rethinking life after death "rocked" some people's worlds. It caused us to dig deeply into 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 6 and even portions of the gospels. While the "process" seems to be what is being debated here (Dr. Moore's intent?), I am drawn back to the amazement of what life looks like when we DO live and work toward redeeming all that surrounds us instead of rejecting it in hopes that The Creator will mercifully recreate. Excellent article.

Paul Goddard

Posted: April 07, 2009 3:20 PM

Have to disagree with Gene and Bev a bit. Before seminary I worked for a funeral home, so I have given this a lot of thought over the years. Atheism teaches that death is the end. The body is merely chemical components to which we may be emotionally attached. Cremation and scattering ashes reinforces this view. Hinduism teaches the animating energy is recycled into another life form. A funeral pyre reinforces this. Burial (regardless of equipment used or not used) creates a picture that is consistent with our historic imagery of the resurrection. The earth and the sea will give up its dead. What is unfortunate is that burial is becoming an option for the rich alone. There was a day when churches provided a place of burial, again reinforcing the expectation of resurrection. What churches could do today would be to create small cemeteries or permanent memorial walls where urns could be buried. This reduces the cost, and it maintains significant symbolism.

Drew	Posted: April 07, 2009 3:13 PM


With all due respect it seems that pastor couldn't find much to preach on so he chose this subject!

Bev Murrill (Registered User)

Posted: April 07, 2009 2:47 PM


Although I appreciate most of what is expressed in this article, I totally fail to see why on earth the writer is taking the time to make cremation a point of discussion. he has already said that it makes no difference in eternity... so why even talk about it.

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