A BELIEVER
October 19th, 2007, 03:04 PM
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. 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 out
ran 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.
Is that important? 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 was done
eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth with 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 knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet."
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"
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. 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 out
ran 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.
Is that important? 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 was done
eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth with 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 knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet."
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"