Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning,while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'
Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there , but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.
He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, 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 boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that 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, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished.
Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth with that napkin and toss it on to 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 knew that the folded napkin meant, 'I'm not finished yet.'
The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

IF YOU BELEIVE HE IS COMING BACK - PASS IT ON, I DID!

What Will Be Your Legacy?

"I will not die, but I will live to tell what the Lord has done.

Psalm 118:17 NLT

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Famous last words

"John Wycliffe lay dying in Lutterworth, England. The year was 1384, and most of his influential friends in church and state had deserted him. Many thought he had gone too far.

For one thing, Wycliffe had dared to translate the Bible into English. He also urged a separation of church and state in order to reform the church. He attacked the corruption and the abuses of power that he observed—particularly among the friars. But most of all he preached that the Bible should be made available in every language.

It sounded like heresy, and since Wycliffe was now at the point of death, some felt he should reconsider his statements. So four friars and four senators crowded into his bedroom. They spoke sternly to him, reminding him of all he had advocated. Now was the time to confess the error of his ways.

Wycliffe was surprisingly alert. He asked if he could be raised in his bed so he could speak more clearly. Then he summoned all his remaining strength to quote Psalm 118:17, or at least part of it: ""I will not die, but I will live, and will again declare the evil deed of the friars.""

Wycliffe died, but his message and work lived on: the English Bible available to the common people. People die, but what they have begun is not halted by death. The trail they have left behind them goes on ahead of them.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Psalms with devotionals by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for October 1"

Mark 12:1-12

1) And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 2) When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3) And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4) Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5) And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 6) He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' 7) But those tenants said to one another, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8) And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9) What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 10) Have you not read this scripture: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; 11) this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12) And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

John 6:60-71

60) Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" 61) But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? 62) Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63) It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64) But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65) And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." 66) After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67) Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68) Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69) and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." 70) Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71) He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him.

Luke 21:5-19

5) And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,6) "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 7) And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" 8) And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. 9) And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once." 10) Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11) there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12) But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13) This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14) Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16) You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17) you will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18) But not a hair of your head will perish. 19) By your endurance you will gain your lives."

The Package

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college.
For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a
dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he
told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his
father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation,
his father called him into his private study. His father told him how
proud he was to have such a fine son,and told him how much he loved him.

He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and
found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all
your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house,
leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business.
He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was
very old and thought perhaps he should go to him.

He had not seen him since that graduation day.
Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling
him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son.
He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret
filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important
papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With
tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully
underlined a verse:

Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in
heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the
Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the
sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and
the words...

PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not
packaged as we expected?

I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil
what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what
you now have was once among the things you only hoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS
BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS;

THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO ATTACHMENTS!

PLEASE SEND THIS TO AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE SO AS TO LET THIS GREAT
LESSON FLOW AROUND.

My advice:
Never pass up an opportunity to tell someone how you feel about
them.
And when it comes to good friends, or family: forgive, forgive,
forgive! It's never worth the pain to hold grudges, go years without
seeing someone or missing an opportunity to say I LOVE YOU! Life is so short and
you just may never get the chance to tell them again. And believe me, it's never worth the pain!

Matthew 8:18-27 and 9:1-7

Matthew 8:18-27, 9:1-7
18) Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19) And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20) And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 21) Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22) But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." 23) And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24) And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25) And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing." 26) And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27) And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" 9:1) And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2) And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." 3) And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming" 4) But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5) For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? 6) But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he then said to the paralytic-"Rise, take up your bed and go home." 7) And he rose and went home.