SweetSurrender

Why did Jesus fold the napkin?

I'm always learning . . . this I had not heard before. I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me.

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? Absolutely, and really significant!

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 his 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, mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it on 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 had gotten 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!"

May this truly bless you and give you peace. . .

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Jasher

I had never heard that before - thank you. Could you tell me the source?

SweetSurrender

Jasher, this is something I got from a lady in my church who is a Messianic Jew and shares lots of traditions Jews observe that have application to our salvation.

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smellycat

sounds like truth to me.

Jasher

They're a great source of info.

smellycat

Jesus comes soon to all people who want truth,and Jesus is the kingdom of God.

glenn316

I've seen variations on this in other places too.

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"Who I am is God's gift to me.
What I do with it is my gift to God."
Warren Wiersbe;

Fluffy

I like that version! I have also heard another one: that Jesus was a carpenter before He started His ministry. Back in the day, carpenters used a towel/napkin to wipe their face and hands as they worked. The customer that had ordered the work, would come by once in a while and check on the progress. When the carpenter was finished, he folded the towel/napkin in a certain way, and laid it to the side. So when the customer came by he would see the towel and knew that it meant that the work was finished. The job was done.
Jesus's work was finished. His job was done.
I think both versions work, equally well. That would be just like God, wouldnt it? To be able to put several meanings into one thing?

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