John 20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,   7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

Today is a glorious day….We as a Christian church are diverse and mixed, but on Resurrection Sunday every church preaches in unison the Gospel message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!! The bible tells us that when Jesus is lifted up He will draw all men unto Himself. Which is why so many come to know Christ on Easter, even today many where drawn to Jesus. Wouldn’t it be something if we did that every Sunday!!!!

Anyway, John reminds us in this text that even though we are celebrating the greatest story ever told, His story is not over. You see Peter found an empty tomb and that was wonderful it meant that our Savior conquered death and the grave; in doing so secured eternal life for each of us that believe in Him.   Now check this out; Peter found an empty tomb, the linen cloths Jesus’ body was wrapped in and lastly the handkerchief which wrapped His head. To understand the significance of the folded handkerchief, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition. The folded handkerchief or napkin (the best translation) is best summed up in these two stories of Hebrew tradition.

1) First is the story of traditional Jewish hospitality. For the Jewish guest, if he/she was well received and thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of their host, at dinner’s end he/she would simply fold the napkin and place it at the end of the table to demonstrate their satisfaction with the evening and a desire to return again. If the guest was pleased and planned to return the host would find a folded napkin on the table, just like Peter found when he arrived at the empty tomb.

2) Secondly, a story of the Master and his servant.  “When the servant set the dinner table for the master, and then the servant would wait just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean 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 folded napkin meant, ‘I’m coming back!’”[1]

He is Risen and as we celebrate today remember….He is coming back!!!

[1] THE FOLDED NAPKIN; http://www.propheticrevelation.net/misc/the_folded_napkin.htm