We are quickly approaching that time of the year when Christians from all over the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Of course, every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, since that is the day evangelical churches meet for worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2).
But Easter is a common global celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and scores of people who normally do not attend church will make the time to go to church on Easter Sunday.
So you will be reading articles and blogs on the resurrection and of course hearing messages as well. Here is what I want to show you as a way to start things off.
In John 20, we come across this account of the resurrection of Christ:
3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) – John 20:3-9 NIV
Now verses 6 and 7 is where I need for you to focus your attention. Notice what is written: “He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.”
John writes and tells us that the “burial cloth” that had been placed around Jesus’ head was FOLDED UP by itself and SEPARATE from the linen – that is from the rest of the burial cloth that had been wrapped around the body of Jesus.
Now remember what brought Peter and John to the tomb? Mary Magdalene had come early to the tomb on a Sunday (John 20:1) to prepare the body of Jesus for final burial by bringing more spices to anoint the corpse (Luke 24:1).
When Mary got there she discovered that the body of Jesus was gone (v. 2). She ran back and told Peter and John what she thought had happened: “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they had laid Him.”
Mary wrongly concluded that Jesus’ body had been stolen. Now the Romans would not have allowed this to occurred, because they did not want to run the risk of news spreading all over the place that Jesus was resurrected. The Romans as well as the religious Jews wanted the body to be left alone as proof that Jesus was merely an ordinary man. But such was not the case. Someone had taken the body, according to Mary.
Now the way the body wrappings were laid out suggests that there was no way for the body of Jesus to have been stolen. First, thieves would not waste the time to unwrap the body of its grave clothes. That would take too much time. Thieves would want to get in and get out as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, thieves would not unwrap the body of its grave clothes and then carry out the naked corpse into the night. Touching a dead smelling corpse would be too much for any thief to consider doing especially a Jew. Since the body was nicely wrapped, why not just carry it out with all its wrappings and not have to touch a dead stinky corpse?
So, there was no way for the body of Jesus to have been stolen. Something much more significant was going on here.
Upon hearing the news of Mary, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see. John 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 noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Note: The cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded and lying off to the side from the rest of the grave cloth.
Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded cloth or 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, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would 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 up napkin meant, "I'm finished."
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 folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back."
This is what Peter saw when he entered the tomb of Jesus. He saw the folded up napkin or head cloth off to the side. When John also got up enough nerve to enter the tomb, the bible says “he saw and believed” (John 20:8).
Back in verses 6-7, when Peter entered the tomb, it says, “he BEHELD. . .the face cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. . .rolled up in a place by itself.
The word “beheld” in the Greek literally means, “to look at attentively.” In other words, Peter looked at the folded napkin off to the side and remembered what that meant.
And sure enough, Jesus did come back (see His appearance to Mary outside the tomb in verses 11-16).
So there you have it. The folded up head cloth by itself is further proof that Jesus’ body was not stolen by thieves. Rather, Jesus left a clue for His disciples that He would soon be back.
That folded up head cloth has both a near and far fulfillment. In terms of the near fulfillment, Jesus did return to the tomb where He met Mary. Later Jesus appeared to the rest of His disciples.
The far fulfillment will be when Jesus returns a second time to this earth. Not exactly sure on what to do and make of all they had seen, Peter and John went back home (v. 10). But Mary stayed and was rewarded with Jesus’ personal appearance whereas Peter and John had to be content with just hearing about it.
Will you stick around as well? You don’t have to stick next to a tomb to see Jesus, just be ready and watching.
Since all this took place on a Sunday, and since the church worships on a Sunday, and since Easter is celebrated on a Sunday. Could it be that when Jesus does return, He may do so on a Sunday?
