Comforting the Mourners at Funerals

WHAT impression does a funeral service conducted by Jehovah’s witnesses have upon those grieving family members who are of a different faith? Consider the following letter that the members of one family wrote to Jehovah’s witnesses in Ohio:

“In 1935 my father passed away, leaving my mother in the frustration and grief that only a widow can know. It was then that she turned to your organization, which, at that time, was very active on the radio, bringing your message to millions of people. We should have realized then what a wonderful group of people you are, but unfortunately we did not. You changed her life of dark despair to one of peace and contentment. She lived this life of serenity for over thirty years, enjoying every minute of it, until death overtook her last week.

“It was at this time that we learned our lesson of despair. As most of you know, when a person reaches eighty-four years of age, which was our mother’s age, most of their close friends and relatives have gone on before them. At least so we thought!

“This was brought to our attention by a story told us by a funeral director, the night before mother’s funeral. He related an incident not too long ago of a very rich and prominent man who came to our city and made it his home. He lived more or less in seclusion for several years in one of the large, exclusive downtown hotels, where he finally passed away. He requested in his will that he be buried in the city that he learned to love so well. Due to a severe snowstorm, there were no visitors the first day after his death. On the second day, a nephew finally arrived through the snow from Pittsburgh. He was the only one who made it. That night he and the funeral director maintained the long and lonely vigil. The following day this nephew was the only one to attend the rich man’s funeral.

“Although our situation was not that bad, we were a little apprehensive the night before mother was to be laid to rest. We wondered if there would be many or if anyone would even attend the services the next day.

“This feeling of apprehension remained with us the next morning until the minister of Jehovah’s witnesses arrived followed by groups of those wonderful people that make up the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses. The spirit and friendliness they brought with them is hard to describe. Serenity is the best word I can think of. As they filled the rooms and expressed their message of sympathy, the gloom was suddenly dispelled and the whole world seemed brighter. We could not help but think how much richer our mother was with all these wonderful friends than that prominent man with all his wealth that we had heard about the night before. One of our relatives who was present said, with much admiration, that she had never heard such an inspiring service.

“You people will probably never realize fully what you did for us with your gifts of beautiful flowers and the kindnesses of the gentlemen who offered their services as pallbearers as well as the warmth of your friendly presence. All this we will not soon forget and for this all we can give is our sincere thanks, and may God bless every one of you.”

Truly funerals present a fine opportunity to comfort mourners with God’s message of the hope of the resurrection and by the Christian love and conduct of his people.

Questions From Readers

● In view of Thomas’ statement in John 20:25, was Jesus impaled with a nail through each hand?—J. B., Taiwan (Republic of China).

After Jesus’ resurrection he appeared to some of the disciples, but the apostle Thomas was not present. When told what had occurred, Thomas responded: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and stick my finger into the print of the nails and stick my hand into his side, I will certainly not believe.” (John 20:25) Since Thomas mentioned nails (plural), some have wondered whether a nail was hammered through each of Christ’s hands.

If we read just the Bible accounts of the actual impalement, we would know very little about how Jesus was impaled. The Gospel writers state only that he was impaled or fastened to the stake. They do not say in their accounts of the impaling how this was accomplished, whether by Christ’s being transfixed with the stake forced through part of the body, by being tied to the pole or by being nailed to it.—Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:25; Luke 23:33; John 19:18.

However, following Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas’ comment in John 20:25 indicates clearly that Jesus’ hands were nailed to the stake. But in what way? We do not know. The Bible does not say whether his hands were nailed one on top of the other with a single nail through them both, or side by side with a separate nail through each. If the latter was the case, Thomas’ remark could be understood as applying only to Jesus’ hands.

There is, though, another possibility that cannot be ruled out. Many scholars believe that a nail or nails pierced Jesus’ feet, fixing them to the post directly or to a small platform attached to the stake. Jesus himself may have referred to wounds in his hands and his feet on another occasion when he appeared to the disciples. So as to convince them that he really was the resurrected Jesus, he said: “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” (Luke 24:39) Thomas did not specifically mention Jesus’ feet. But his comment about “the print of the nails” may have included Christ’s hands and feet, though only the hands were named.

Often in the Watch Tower Society’s publications Jesus has been illustrated as being impaled with a single nail through his two hands and another nail piercing his two feet. This is only an artist’s conception, but it is quite possible that this is how Jesus was impaled.

While such technical matters are of some interest, the major thing to keep in mind about Jesus’ death is what it accomplished. One point is that it ended the obligation to keep the Mosaic law, for God took “it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake.” (Col. 2:14) By his integrity to God even during the agony and death on the stake, Jesus proved that out of love humans can serve Jehovah faithfully no matter what temptations and pressures Satan brings. And Jesus’ death on the stake provided the ransom, the price to release believing mankind from bondage to sin and death.—1 Tim. 2:5, 6; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

Spiritual warfare! This is the warfare for true Christians: “The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things.” (2 Cor. 10:4) Among those strongly entrenched things against which Christians wage spiritual war are Babylonish teachings of false religion. Against these Babylonish ideas, Jehovah’s witnesses wield the “sword of the spirit,” the Word of God. Also helping in maintaining the assault on false religion are the publications of the Watch Tower Society. For example, Awake! magazine last April featured a special issue entitled “Are the Churches Nearing Their End?” Each issue of Awake!, in fact, helps Christians in their spiritual warfare. As they maintain the assault on false religion during October, Jehovah’s witnesses will offer a year’s subscription for the Awake! magazine, with three Bible-study-aid booklets, on a contribution of $1.

WHAT HAS GOD PROMISED?

Really to know God we must know what he has promised to do for us. And to have faith in those promises we must have absolute assurance that he will carry them out. The Bible contains such assurance, and the book “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie” will help you to be convinced. Its twenty-two absorbing chapters give powerful assurance of the certainty of fulfillment of all God’s promises. It is hardbound, 416 pages, illustrated. Send only 50c.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

October 26: The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years, ¶1-25. Page 612. Songs to Be Used: 114, 102.

November 2: The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years, ¶26-48. Page 619. Songs to Be Used: 43, 98.