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For many years, I was privileged to lead groups on a visit to Israel, the Holy Land. The highlight of those days in Israel is the last day when we visit a site in Jerusalem that could well be the place where Jesus was crucified. Next to is, there is a garden with an ancient tomb, dating back to the time of Jesus. There is much evidence to believe this could be the garden where Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and placed it in that tomb.
Each of us goes into that tomb and comes back out, and the word on our lips is always, “It is empty; he is risen!” I always imagine what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene and Peter and John as they discovered the empty tomb. In John 20 we read that Simon Peter went into the tomb, where he saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen (John 20:7).
It’s an interesting little detail John gives us, and you might wonder why he made sure it was recorded that the cloth was folded up by itself. In order to understand this, 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 person knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure 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. The servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.
When he finished, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and 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 the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”
John is careful to record the napkin was folded, because he knew it would be very meaningful to the disciples! He’s coming back! He’s not dead; he’s alive.
You and I need to be just as thrilled and excited as Peter and John and Mary Magdalene were the day they walked into that empty tomb.