My husband recently received this from his aunt... just in time for Easter. I had never seen or heard of it before, but it gave me chills and choked me up. I wanted to share it...
"Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark and saw that the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." So Peter and the other disciples went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb and he saw the linen wrappings lying there and the facecloth that had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself."
John 20:1-7 NAS
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? That napkin, or facecloth, that covered his precious face wasn't just tossed aside like his other graveclothes... it was folded (rolled up) and set aside. The Bible takes an entire verse to explain this to us. Is it important? YES! Is it significant? YES!
In order to understand the significance of this, you need to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition during that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and the servant. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure it was set exactly the way his 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 wasn't to touch the table until the master was completely finished. If the master were done eating, he would rise from the table and use his napkin to clean his mouth, hands, and beard. Then he would wad the napkin and toss it onto the table. Then the servant would come and clear the table, for in that time, a wadded napkin meant: "I am done." But if the master got up and folded the napkin, laying it beside his plate, the servant wouldn't dare touch the table...
because a folded napkin meant "I'm coming back"
HE IS COMING BACK!
"Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark and saw that the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." So Peter and the other disciples went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb and he saw the linen wrappings lying there and the facecloth that had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself."
John 20:1-7 NAS
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? That napkin, or facecloth, that covered his precious face wasn't just tossed aside like his other graveclothes... it was folded (rolled up) and set aside. The Bible takes an entire verse to explain this to us. Is it important? YES! Is it significant? YES!
In order to understand the significance of this, you need to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition during that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and the servant. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure it was set exactly the way his 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 wasn't to touch the table until the master was completely finished. If the master were done eating, he would rise from the table and use his napkin to clean his mouth, hands, and beard. Then he would wad the napkin and toss it onto the table. Then the servant would come and clear the table, for in that time, a wadded napkin meant: "I am done." But if the master got up and folded the napkin, laying it beside his plate, the servant wouldn't dare touch the table...
because a folded napkin meant "I'm coming back"
HE IS COMING BACK!
