Funeral Wrappings

Note: This one is not an original, but I cannot find the source. If you know the source I would be happy to give credit.

Materials
a pencil and bandage

As Christians we celebrate one day of the year more than any other. Do you know what day? [Easter] Easter is the day when Jesus rose from the grave. Today I want to share part of that story with you. [Read John 19:38-39]

On the Friday that Jesus was crucified Joseph of Arimathæa got permission from Pilate to bury the body. Nicodemus came with a large mixture of myrrh and aloes. The custom of the Jews was to take one-inch strips of linen and wrap them around the body. This was the same way Jesus was wrapped “in swaddling clothes” when he was born. Then burial spices were poured over the strips of linen and hardened like a plaster cast hardens around a broken bone. (John 19:40)

Watch this. Let’s take this pencil and pretend it is an arm. Now let’s wrap the bandage around it. [Do not wrap with the sticky side facing down. Wrap it with the sticky side up around the pencil and catch the leading edge as you go.] This is the way Jesus was wrapped in strips of linen and then aloes and spices were poured over the linen. Then one long linen sheet was laid down. Jesus was laid on this sheet so that his body was completely covered by it. Now let’s set this pencil aside until we hear more of the story.

Joseph and Nicodemus did not have time to finish the job before the Sabbath started. The sun was setting so the women who followed them saw where Jesus was buried and returned home. The would bring spices to finish the job later. Early on the first day of the week (Sunday), the “Spice Girls” brought their spices to put on the body of Jesus. They saw the stone was rolled away and entered the tomb but Jesus was not there. [Read Mark 16:5-7] Jesus had risen! They ran to tell the disciples the good news. Peter and John ran to the tomb. [Read John 20:5-8] The Bible says that John saw and believed. What did John see that made him believe that Jesus had risen? One thing was that Jesus wasn’t there. He also saw the empty linen strips without a tear in them. When Jesus rose from the dead his new body was able to pass through things (John 20:26). His body went right though the burial clothes without tearing them.

[Slip the bandage off the pencil and hold the bandage so they can see the hole in the hollow area where the bandage was.] The clothes were there but Jesus was not. He had risen!

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