Why Did Jesus Fold His Napkin?

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? 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 separate from the grave clothes. 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 loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and Idon't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped 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 to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have tounderstand 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 itwas 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 done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin andtoss 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 folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!' He is Coming Back!

 

HE IS RISEN AND HE IS COMING BACK and in light of current events He is coming back very soon :)

Do Not Be Shakened By Current Events

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I apologize that this is the first post in a long time. I look forward to speaking revelation into your lives.


These are perilous times, but these are great times. I believe that we live in the day that we will see the return of Jesus. As we see things unfolding everyday, we can see the Scriptures coming to life. That which has been long concealed is now being unveiled. That which was mysterious, is now becoming manifested. As we read Ezekiel 37-39, we can see the Middle East and Russia being strategically placed for an end-time war against Israel. We are warned to pay close attention to the powers from the extreme north. Extreme north is Russia. Nations are congregating and plotting to come against Israel and her allies. America has always experienced blessing because America has always stood with Israel. Now, as America is leaning toward the support of the Palestinians, America is suffering today greater than it ever has.


I look at currents events and watch the cataclysmic devastation around the world. To those that have read the Word of God, these events are not surprising nor alarming. I am fully aware that earthquakes have always happened. Yet, we need to pay attention to the frequency and the intensity of the earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions (Luke 21:10-11). It is interesting that catastrophes have happened on September 11 in New York, January 11 in Haiti, and now March 11 in Japan.  The number eleven (11) in biblical understanding deals with the things of imperfection, disorganization of systems, and the disorder or chaos of things. In these last days a spirit of chaos is brewing, but be encouraged!  God has always been in authority over chaos! From the very beginning of time, God the Creator has brooded over the chaos.


These are the days that we must get closer to God. These are the days of divine return. There is a grieving as God calling is for the return of His children. Pious platitudes and sanctimonious religious worship won't work anymore. He is calling for a new and fresh relationship that is strong enough to carry you through the storm and the fire. Be comforted for God will place you under His care and protection if you are willing to trust Him.

Child-like Faith

I received this from Pastor Bill - Christian Cyber Ministries. January 26 2011.  Thought it was worth reading.

Scripture: Mark 10:15

"These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." MSG

The following is said to be from an 8 year old boy who was completing a third grade homework assignment in a Christian School. The assignment: "Explain God"

The boy began, "One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to Moms and Dads."

He followed up: "God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off."

The boy continued: "God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have."

He also added: "Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in town --- at least there aren't any who come to our church."

The boy speaking about Jesus: "Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K."

About church the boy commented: "You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church or do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong and besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway."

He followed with this Atheist analysis: "If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely --- because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim."

As a wrap the boy continued, "But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases. So I better get to work telling everyone about him so they don't miss out. And that's who God is and why I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

Prayer: Father thank you for child like faith no matter how old I am. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!