Face Cloth Neatly Folded

I would like to see a show of hands, who makes their bed every day? I figured there would be someone who does it. You are the kind of person who should really appreciate what Jesus did in the tomb after His resurrection.

I know this isn’t Easter Sunday, but I wanted to share with you something I discovered a few years ago about the grave clothes of Jesus. Please turn to John 20:1-10 ESV

The part of this text that captured my attention was the phrase in verse 7 in the ESV “The burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head; was folded up by itself, separate from the linen”. For those of you who make your bed every-day, because the face cloth was folded neatly Jesus made up part of His bed. Before I delve into the meaning and significance of the face cloth neatly folded, let’s back up and understand what is happening:

Verses 1 & 2 –

1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

It is Sunday morning and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to finish anointing Jesus’ body for burial. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had only wrapped the body for burial late on Friday before sundown and Jewish custom called for spices to be added to properly embalm the body.

Luke 24:10 tells us in addition to Mary Magdalene there was Joanna, Mary the mother of James and other women who went to the tomb that morning. Jesus was crucified on Friday and the reason the woman stayed away from the tomb until Sunday morning was became of their observance of the Sabbath on Saturday.

For three days the disciples of Jesus grieved. When we say three days, these were not three 24-hour days. Jewish customs allowed for the principle “if any portion of a day was affected, then it counted as a day”. Jesus was laid in the borrowed tomb before 6pm on Friday – day one. Day two is Saturday and after 6am on Sunday makes the third day.

For those same three days the Chief Priests congratulated themselves their brilliant scheme worked in getting rid of Jesus. For those same three days the demons in Hell celebrated their victory the Messiah was dead!

In verse 2

2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

These women reported to the eleven apostles that the tomb of Jesus was empty and they didn’t know where His body was.

Verse 3 - 4

3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

Peter and John ran to the tomb because they couldn’t believe what they had heard – it was too amazing! They had to see for themselves.

Verses 5 - 8

5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

Dr. Warren Wiersbe shares this insight: John uses three different Greek words to convey the different kinds of “seeing” in these verses.

1. In verse 5 “he bent over and looked in at the linen clothes lying there”. This seeing/look is a glance, a quick look. John wasn’t sure he wanted to enter the tomb.

2. In verse 6 Peter went into the tomb and ““saw” the linen cloth lying there”. This seeing is to look carefully as to observe. It means he looked steadily to behold the details of the room. He gazed at what he saw with purpose, analyzing it. If you watch any of the crime dramas on TV or movies, you often see someone kneeling down and staring at the crime scene observing the blood splatter direction; the weapon used – all the little details to draw conclusions.

3. Finally, the 3rd uses of the word “to see” is in verse 8 “John saw and believed”. He perceived with intelligent comprehension. He discerned the facts – faith was dawning in his mind and heart that Jesus’ body was not lost or stolen – Jesus was resurrected!

Let’s go back to verses 6 and 7. Let’s focus on the grave clothes and the significance of the face cloth being folded: