Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (John 20:6,7)
John 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 separate from the grave clothes.
Was that important? Yes!
To understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a bit of 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, the table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant dare not touch that table, until the master was finished.
When the master was done eating, he would rise, wipe his fingers, mouth, etc. and wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table.In those days, the wadded napkin meant, ‘I’m done.’
But, if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because… The folded napkin meant, ‘I’m coming back!’
JESUS IS COMING BACK!
Marantha and Blessings