Context Study: Burial In The Time Of Christ

Lead learners to describe how the burial process is handled today. Explain that in the time of Christ, the custom was to bury individuals soon after their death because of the risk of defilement, sometimes within a few hours. Share the following:

• Since burials took place quickly, there was no time for elaborate preparation and funeral ceremonies. After death, the corpse was placed on a stretcher-like frame called a bier and carried to the place of burial. The clothing that individuals of that day wore—a loose undergarment with a cloak worn over it—was used much like a sheet to cover the corpse from head to foot. It was also customary to anoint the dead body with sweet-swelling spices for obvious reasons.
• In accordance with the Mosaic Law, as well as the custom of the day, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body the day He was crucified. After the burial, Nicodemus brought a large amount of myrrh and aloes. Jesus’ body was bound in linen cloths with spices. The women also brought additional spices for the same purpose.
• The tomb or sepulcher was hewn out of rock. After a body had decayed down to the bones, the remains were often pushed back so another body could be placed in the burial compartment.

Ask: How does this burial process point to Jesus’ humanity? If Jesus had remained in the tomb, could His claim to be God’s Son have been true? Why?