Did you ever wonder why God included some things in the Bible? Why is it important to tell us that it was still dark when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb? Why is it important to tell us that there was a foot-race to the tomb that first Sunday? Why is it important to tell us who won and got there first? And why is it important to tell us that the sheets were lying in one place while the cloth that covered Jesus’ head was “neatly folded” and lying in another place? You know if all scripture is inspired and given by God, could it be that there might be something we’re missing?

Let me give a “possibility” on why the detail about the “folded” cloth was included. There was an oriental custom that some think drifted into Jewish culture about the napkin that was used at the dining table. It seems that if the head of the house stood up, wiped his hands and mouth on his napkin and then tossed it on the table…that meant he was finished with the meal and was leaving the room. However, if the head of the house stood up, wiped his hands and mouth on his napkin and then folded the napkin and laid it on the table…that meant he was not finished and would be returning to the table.

Could it be that the incidental fact about the “folded” cloth that was left in the empty tomb was in essence Christ’s message to the disciples [and us] that, “I’m not finished yet and I will be coming back?”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 10:13 pm and is filed under From The Pulpit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.