– Author UnknownThen Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
– John 20:6-7
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial
cloth after His resurrection? The passage above tells us that the
napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown
aside like the grave clothes. The Bible devotes an entire verse to tell
us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that
stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning, while it was
still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had
been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and
the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken
the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put
him!”
Peter and the other disciple ran to
the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He
stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he
didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed
the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’
head was folded up and lying to the side.
Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the
significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little about
Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the
Master and Servant relationship, and every Jewish boy knew this
tradition.
When the servant set the dinner
table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the
master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the
servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished
eating. The servant would not dare touch that table until the master was
finished.
Now if the master were done eating,
he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his
beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The
servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the
wadded napkin meant, “I’m done.”
But if the master got up from the
table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant
would not dare touch the table, because…
The folded napkin meant, “I am coming back!”
You will see Him in Jesus Name!
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