The Easter Mummy And The Folded Napkin

D. What is up with this?

Did Jesus fold the handkerchief to give a hidden message?

A. According to some Easter sermons, the folded head covering was a hidden message to the disciples. According to these sermons, among the Jews of Jesus’ day a master would let his servants know whether he was finished eating or coming back to the table by the way he left his napkin. If he tossed it aside, he was finished. If he folded it, he was not finished and would return. The hidden message in the story is that by laying His napkin aside and neatly folded Jesus was saying He would be coming back.

B. That sounds great, but here is a little piece of information that might help you. Whenever you here a story that sounds interesting and you are encouraged to pass it along, it would be good to check out the source first just to make sure it is true. There are so many things that get spread around, especially by Christians, that are just not true, and it makes Christians look bad.

C. So according to these sites and hundreds of other Biblical scholars here is the fact about this ‘hidden message of the folded napkin.’

1. Many Bible study sources and Jewish scholars have been checked and nothing has ever been found about this alleged Jewish custom of the folded napkins. No Bible scholars have ever referred to this custom or the illustration about the meaning of the folded napkin.

2. The other problem with this ‘hidden message’ theory is that none of Jesus disciples were the kind of people who even had servants, so they would not have any idea of what this custom would mean.

3. And then there is the real problem of the hidden message in that it was so hidden no one would ever get it until just a few years ago. The disciples would never make the connection between a bloody head wrapping that was folded up and ever think it was supposed to represent a table napkin, which by the way only the King James version uses the word ‘napkin’ All the other translations use “facecloth” or “burial-cloth” or something like that. There is nothing in common between a burial scene and the dinner table. And there would be no logical reason for associating these two different items with each other. “Oh, look, there's a folded burial cloth. That reminds me of eating lunch!” The “I’m coming back” theme is certainly true, but it does not depend upon folded cloths.

D. I am skeptical about any interpretation or ‘deeper meaning’ of Scripture which depends entirely upon knowledge that can only be gained outside of Scripture. My basic conviction is that God has given us all we need to understand the Bible, all the necessary information in the Bible itself, and the Holy Spirit who illuminates it. (1 Corinthians 2).

E. Then there is another common thought about a hidden message that Jesus was trying to give with the folded napkin.

1. This story says that Jewish carpenters used to leave a folded towel as a sign to their clients that a project was completed. They would wipe their face and arms, and then leave the sweaty cloth folded atop the finished work to indicate to the client that the job was finished and their labor complete.