Why Did JESUS Fold the Napkin?

— Author Unknown

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Why Did JESUS Fold the Napkin? 

Do you know why?  This is just beautiful.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this…

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 loves. 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 stopped 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 apart from the other wrappings.”  John 20:1-7 NLT

Was that important?

Absolutely!

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 the 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 were finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

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,

The servant would then know to clear the table.  For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished…”

                                       ….because……….

The folded napkin meant,

“I’m coming back!” …

 …AND SO HE SHALL             

An Easter Poem

HOPE OF HOPE / LOVE OF LOVE

Hope of Hope
Did not give up
                                                  
Love of Love
On His way to Calvary
To save a sin sick humanity

In deepest thought, O Lord
I cannot perceive
The kind of anguish
This darkened world
Placed on Thee.

The path was ever so hard,
That way of Sorrow

Lamb of God, Messiah, 
King of Kings

Your Life You gave
For life eternal to raise,

And Hope of Heaven to bring
---Truly not an easy thing

                        -Anita Harding