Browse Bible Study Resources

Daily Devotions

Mark

Mark 
Day 
Day 342

Acts 5:12a "And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people." Acts 5:12a"

Day 342 – Mark 16

“And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.” Acts 5:12a

FUNERARY RITES

Every little detail of the death of a loved one is important. Jesus was beloved to all His disciples, not the least the women followers. What may we know of Jewish funerary rites (from the Scriptures)?

1. Closing of the eyes

A tender reference is found in the following text. This was a word that God gave specially to Jacob, as he contemplated his move to Egypt.

“So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father;
do not fear to go down to Egypt,
for I will make of you a great nation there.
I will go down with you to Egypt,
and I will also surely bring you up again;
and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.'”
GENESIS 46:3-4

The phrase “put his hand on your eyes” is an euphemism for “death”. It is also a symbolic description of a son closing the eyes of his father, as one who is going to his eternal rest. This was a prophetic insight as to how Jacob would die. His favourite son would be the one who would close his eyes for him.

2. Kissing of the face

At the death of Jacob, Joseph was there to mourn his death.

“Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him,
and kissed him.”
GENESIS 50:1

Joseph also had his father carefully embalmed (Cf. Genesis 50:2-3). However, this Egyptian feature was not retained by Israel in its funerary details.

3. A long period of mourning

The more illustrious the person, the longer would be the mourning period! The mourning of Jacob lasted some seventy days (Cf. Genesis 50:3). This length of mourning period was also not retained in Israel. Professional mourners were sometimes hired to weep at the death of a loved one (Cf. Matthew 9:23-25 Some mourned death by playing on musical instruments such as flutes).

4. A special act of love and devotion

Burial was seen as the last act of love and devotion. It was not uncommon to have a multitude of mourners at the tomb (as in the case of Lazarus; John 11:19). In the case of Jesus, only a handful of women turned up to do the honours of anointing Jesus for burial! Anointing of the dead was another special feature adopted over the years. The women followers had prepared “spices and fragrant oils” (Cf. Luke 23:56).