I'm always
learning.... This I had not heard before.
Why did
Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His Resurrection?
The Gospel
of John (20: 7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed
over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the
grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell
us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the
head of that stony coffin.
Is that
important? You'd better believe it! Is that
Significant? Absolutely! Is it really significant?
Yes!
In order
to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have
to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded
napkin had to do with the Master and servant, 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, and the servant would not dare
touch that table, until the master was finished.
Now if the
master had finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe
his fingers and his mouth, and clean his beard, and would then
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 servant knew that the folded napkin meant,
"I'm not finished yet."
The folded
napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"