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.
Is that important? You'd better believe it! Is that
significant? 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 w/ 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 had 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. 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 would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew
that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet." The folded napkin meant,
"I'm coming back!"