Can the Dead See Us?

A WOMAN murders her husband. Seven years later she is terrified by a dream that she believes is a sign of her dead husband’s wrath. To appease his “spirit,” she sends her daughter to pour out drink offerings on his grave.

The daughter does not know how to speak to her father’s spirit, since the offering comes from her mother who killed him. From a place of concealment, her brother watches. He comes forward, and he and his sister offer a prayer to their father to help them avenge his murder.

This scene is from The Libation Bearers, a Greek play written more than 2,400 years ago. In some parts of the world, especially in Africa, similar graveside sacrifices are offered even today.

Consider, for example, the experience of Ibe, who lives in Nigeria. Having lost three children in death, he approaches the traditional native doctor, who tells Ibe that the deaths are not without reason​—Ibe’s late father is angry because his burial has not been performed in the proper manner.

Acting on the native doctor’s advice, Ibe sacrifices a goat and pours an offering of gin and wine on his father’s grave. He calls out to his father’s spirit, begging forgiveness, affirming his love, and asking a blessing.

Ibe does not doubt that his father can see and hear him. He does not believe that his father is lifeless but that at death he “crossed over” from the visible world to the invisible world. Ibe believes that his father has gone from the world of flesh and blood to the world of spirits, the domain of the ancestors.

Ibe reasons like this: ‘Though Father is no longer in this world, he still remembers me and is interested in my welfare. And since he is now a spirit with enhanced powers, he is in a far better position to help me than he was as a man on earth. Moreover, he can make direct approach to God in my behalf, since God is also a spirit. Father may be angry right now, but if I show him proper respect, he will forgive and bless me.’

In Africa the belief that the dead see people on earth and influence their lives is common among those who practice traditional religion. It is evident among professed Christians also. For example, after a woman has been married in church, it is not unusual for her to go to the home of her parents to receive a traditional blessing. There the ancestors are invoked, and a drink offering is poured out to them. Many people believe that failure to do this brings disaster upon the marriage.

It is thought that the ancestors, or ancestral spirits, ensure the survival and prosperity of their families on earth. According to this view, they are powerful allies, able to bring good harvests, promote well-being, and protect people from harm. They intercede in man’s behalf. If ignored or offended, however, they bring disaster​—sickness, poverty, even death. Consequently, through sacrifice and ritual, people strive to maintain good relations with the dead.

Do you believe that the dead play an active role in the lives of the living? Have you ever stood at the grave of a loved one and found yourself speaking a few words, just in case he or she could hear you? Well, whether the dead see and hear us or not depends on what happens at death. Let us examine what the Bible says about this important subject.