Why did Jesus fold the Napkin on His Tomb
“and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.”
Why did Jesus fold the Napkin on His Tomb
By. Meline Ngo
Early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene steps to the tomb of Jesus and finds the stone has been rolled out from the entrance.
She ran and finds Simon Peter and the other disciples, the one whom Jesus loved. She said to them, “They carried the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciples ran to the tomb to see.
Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He noticed the linen wrapping Jesus’ body was lying there, while the cloth that had covered His head was folded up and lying to the side.
Gospel of John (20:7) tells that the napkin placed over the face of Jesus was not thrown aside like the other grave clothes. An entire Bible verse tells us that the napkin was neatly folded.
What is the meaning of this? And What is its importance?
To understand the significance of the folded napkin, we need to know about Hebrew tradition during those days. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When a servant sets a dinner table for the master, he makes sure that it is precisely the master’s preference. The table is set perfectly, and the servant will wait, just out of sight, until the master finishes his meal.
The servant cannot dare touch the table until the master is finished. If the master is finished eating, he will rise, wipe his fingers mouth, clean his beard, wad up the napkin and toss it on the table. The servant will then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished.”
While if the master gets, and folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate; the servant won’t dare touch the table because the folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”
May we constantly be reminded that Jesus is not finished and is yet to come for all His faithful.
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Love this teaching.