What About Cremation?

 

Imagine for a moment you’ve been given a painting.  But not just any painting; you’ve been given Rembrandt’s famed “Return of the Prodigal Son”: a priceless masterpiece picturing forgiveness, grace and love.  But there’s a catch: you’ve got to keep the masterpiece ‘under wraps,’ specifically in a rough, burlap bag.  Well at first you protest:  a masterpiece like Rembrandt’s masterpiece needs to be displayed and framed.  And if it’s ‘under wraps,’ let it be in a velvet bag.  But the giver of the masterpiece is firm:  it’s got to be in the burlap bag! And so you put it in the burlap bag.  But you’re still confused:  why is in all the world would you place a masterpiece in such a common, earthy, container?

Frankly, persons often ask that question:  why would you place a masterpiece in a common earthy, container? Oh not about Rembrandt’s masterpiece, but God’s masterpiece – God’s saving action in Jesus; the ultimate expression of forgiveness, grace and love.  You see Paul is clear in 2 Corinthians 4:7 we have this treasure, [this masterpiece], in jars of clay…” (2 Corinthians 4:7), in an earthy, human form; in essence, a burlap bag.   

As we begin our discussion of cremation, it’s crucial we catch this paradox between the human and holy.  For often we emphasize one over the other.  Frankly, it often is the human over the holy; the bag, over the masterpiece.  I mean we worry about the bag – we put lipstick on the bag – we buy high fashion for the bag – we insure the bag.  But in the end, it’s still a bag – an  earthly, limited container.  

Now please don’t misunderstand, we are to honor our earthly container.  I mean “our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” – Paul underscores in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “…therefore [we are to] honor God with your body…”  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). But ultimately we honor God with our body, by not overemphasizing the body.  Rather we emphasize the God who resides in the body – the masterpiece within. 

Well how do you do that, especially in line with the sensitive subject before us?  

Guiding Thought #1 – Though Gospel Truth Never Changes, Gospel Application Often Does.  In all candor the Christian church, historically, has not has not supported cremation as an appropriate biblical application or practice. And for good reason: the Bible seems to favor burial of the body, over any other means. Whether it was Abraham in Genesis 25:8-10 – Rachel in Genesis 35:19-20 -- Joshua in Joshua 24:29-30 – Stephen in Acts 8:2 – or Jesus himself in Matthew 27:57-60, the bodies of bible folks were buried.

But does that mean burial of the body is the required biblical standard?  Not necessarily. Respectful, intentional handling of human remains in some way, shape or form -- is the required biblical standard, honoring Genesis 1:31, which calls us to handle human form and frame as something good.  

But burial of a body is but one application of that biblical standard.  The inference:  there can be other applications as well, including I would argue, cremation.  Apparently many agree.  Whereas in 1962, only 5% of deceased persons in the U.S. were cremated – in 2010 a whopping 40% of deceased persons in the U.S. were cremated.    

And so bottom line:  cremation is not a common practice in scripture, but a valid application of scripture; Genesis 1:31 scripture.  It’s interesting:  the burning of bodies and bones is found in scripture (1 Kings 16:18; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Kings 23:16-20) – but that’s not cremation as we know it today; cremation as we know it today was not a common Biblical practice.  

But cremation is still valid. I mean Christian radio is not common practice in scripture, but a valid application of scripture, specifically Matthew 10:27 scripture -- “…what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the [housetops]…” (Matthew 10:27).   Organs and electric guitars are not common practice in scripture, but a valid application of Psalm 150:6 scripture -- “…let everything that has breathe, praise the Lord…”  (Psalm 150:6).  

In sum:  cremation is a valid application of scripture; Genesis 1:31 scripture, as it calls us to handle human form and frame intentionally, respectfully, as something good.

Guiding Thought #2 – God Is Able:  Mobilizing Even Varied Things.  I mean varied applications of scripture results in varied things. 

Frankly, cremation is a varied thing, involving varied fragments of human form and frame.  But we wonder:  is God able?  I mean its one thing for God to work with a whole body – but fragments of a body?  We have our doubts!  And for good reason:  I mean the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that when Jesus returns to earth “…the dead in Christ will rise…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  But how will I rise, or my loved one rise, if we don’t have a body?    Because God is able!  Listen to Jesus Himself in Mark 13:26 – why when the Son of Man returns, Jesus remarks “… [He] will send his angels and gather his elect -- from the four winds -- from the ends of the earth -- to the ends of the heavens…”  (Mark 13:26-27).   

Sounds pretty inclusive to me!  Not just a gathering of intact, fully preserved bodily remains, but a gathering of all types of bodily remains.   But that’s our God: able to ‘work the miracle,’ ‘handle the details,’ and ‘put the pieces together, no matter what! 

In 1979, a tragic thing happened:  the U.S. embassy in Tehran was overrun and captured by Iranian captors.  But before the Iranians could take the embassy, embassy officials shredded every critical document in the whole compound. But it was all for naught! Why upon finding the shredded paper, the Iranians took the paper and spread it all over the embassy floor. And then with the utmost patience, they numbered each piece methodically, one by one.  But it gets even more bizarre:  after numbering each piece, they called in local carpet weavers and commanded them to painstakingly reconstruct each and every document by hand!  As Malcolm Byrne noted:  "For a culture that's been tying 400 knots per inch for centuries, it wasn't that much of a challenge [at all].!"

But there's one able to to reconstruct fragmented things, shredded things, even better than Iranian carpet weavers!  The name of the weaver:  the one true God!  The Bishop of Manchester says it best: "The omnipotence of [our] God is not limited...[Why] He [can] raise the dead -- whether He [has] to raise...bodies out of church-yards, or whether He [has] to reconstruct...remains...out of an urn...!"

Guiding Thought #3 -- What We Dwell On, 'Fix On,' Dominates.  If you dwell on earthy details, the earthy dominates.  But if you dwell on Godly details -- His sovereignty -- His omnipotence -- His ability -- the Godly dominates.

Clearly scripture wants the Godly to dominate.  Yes "...we have this treasure in jars of clay..."  Paul notes.  "...[but] do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen -- but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal..."  (2 Corinthians 4:7; 16-18).

And so: what will we "fix on":  the earthy or the eternal; the burlap or the masterpiece?  I advise:  fix on the masterpiece!  Because no matter how tattered the burlap, the burlap really isn't you!  The masterpiece is really you!  Hope, security, joy, peace, salvation, eternity, in Jesus -- that's really you!

And so, fix on the masterpiece, not the burlap.  For God is able; able to sort out every concern about the burlap, be it cremation or some other detail.

And so,  "...do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away...inwardly we are being renewed day by day...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen -- but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary -- but what is unseen is eternal..."  (2 Corinthians 4:7; 16-18).