GRAVELY SPEAKING

If I was talking literally about a person having “one foot in the grave,” it might be a scene for a horror movie. But idiomatically speaking, I am saying that the person is very ill and may be close to death.

It is not uncommon for people to visit the grave sites of their loved ones. They often erect tombstones with the dates of the dead etched on them, perhaps a word of scripture, a quote, or even a picture of the “departed.” Flowers are often left at the site, and loved ones may go there to mourn and meditate.

The burial of the dead is usually a sacred act and cultures do it differently. In American and Western cultures, the body is often placed in a coffin, lowered into the ground (“six feet under”) and covered with dirt and eventually grass grows on top of the grave. If a body is cremated, the ashes may be preserved in an urn or scattered to the wind. Practices vary, but the body will quickly decompose, so it is cared for in special ways. There are various mortuary practices, which include cleaning, closing the eyes and mouth, applying makeup, embalming, and so on.

It doesn’t matter how one treats the corpse because the body will first stiffen (rigor mortis), become heavy and putrefaction will follow. Embalming slows the process, but eventually the worms take over. It is no wonder that Jesus emphasized the spiritual body, which never dies. 

There will be no “turning over in one’s grave,” as with surprise or distress. In one idiomatic sense of the word, people are “planted” in the grave, an apt description because, like a plant, that is there for the purpose of growing into full and different stature.

There is a saying that if you are wanting revenge, you should dig two graves, one for yourself, the other for the person who you are also killing.

The worm turns on the meaning of the word as well and we can talk of something that is of “grave” importance, something so serious that we neglect it to our peril.

Jesus himself was not buried in a grave, but in a newly rock-hewn tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. His body was not covered with dirt but was wrapped in linen, smothered with perfumes, and a large stone concealed and protected the entrance to the tomb where his body lay.

When my brother and I were young, we mowed the lawn at the local graveyard. It was in the old days and we used hand mowers. We would see newly dug graves or watch the “gravediggers.” Occasionally, near a tombstone we would see a sign that said, “perpetual care,” meaning that the site should always be well maintained, with no weeds or debris around it. The family wanted special care for their departed.

When the early German missionaries went to New Guinea (as it was then called), they took their coffins and stored them under their houses. They were prepared to die, as the saying goes, “with their boots on.”

One of my favorite songs is “Up from the grave He arose,” explicating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The first verse and chorus are as follows: L

Low in the grave he lay,

Jesus my Savior!

Waiting the coming day,

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain

And He lives forever with His saints to reign

He arose! (He arose)

He arose! (He arose)

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Yes, we will die, and our earthly bodies will either rot or be burned. However, we can also look forward to arising and being with Jesus if we know him as our Savior.

When my brother and I mowed the local graveyard, we saw only tombstones and inscriptions, including one to our baby sister (and later my parents). We did not understand that when Jesus returns, the graves will open and earthly bodies would be resurrected. However, as I understand the Scriptures, when I die, I am assured of a resurrected spiritual body. I don’t have to wait for that act until Jesus returns. Much of this is a mystery (at least to me), but what a wonderful surprise awaits us!

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” 

(2 Corinthians 5.1-4)

Karl Franklin