September 2, 2007

• The burial cloth over Jesus’ face by Pastor Don

  I was asked by someone why the Bible mentions that the cloth that covered Jesus’ face was folded mentioned in John 20:7. The person gave a few reasons that she thought it could be, such as an orderly arrangement to show that there was no grave robbery. Another theory was that there was a Jewish tradition that if the napkin was folded it meant that the master was not finished and would be returning. I told the person that I would ask Pastor Don and get back to them with what he had to say on this because I do not want to guess at an answer. I was able to ask last Wednesday and thought I would share his response with you.

  Pastor Don said that he studied the burial practices of the Israelites, and discovered that the corpse was wrapped with 40 foot long strips of cloth. The person would be wrapped with one layer of cloth, then spices were put on the body, and another layer of cloth was wrapped over the spices. Many more layers were wrapped, spice/cloth; spice/cloth/ spice/cloth, etc. By the time that the body was completely wrapped it would contain about 120 pounds of spices and cloth. The body was wrapped from head to toe.

  But with Jesus there was a problem. The crucifixion was right before Passover, so the body had to be hastily tucked away until after the Sabbath.

  We started looking at scriptures in the four Gospels.

  John 19:38-42 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

  

  Here is the entrance to the Garden Tomb.

  

  This is the empty tomb that we will be referring to. Jesus rose!

  Pastor Don pointed out that there was a time factor. They could not work on the Sabbath, so they had to hastily bury the body. They wrapped it and put in some spices, planning to come back and finish the job properly after the Sabbath. They did what they could do on the Jews’ Preparation Day.

  When the body would be fully prepared it would be wrapped like a cocoon and weigh about 300-400 pounds. They were able to finish everything but Jesus’ face, so they laid a cloth on it.

  After the Sabbath, Peter and John come to the tomb. John looks inside the tomb, but Peter goes in and examines the situation. He knew that Jesus was risen – what evidence did he see? If it had been a grave robbery the spices and cloths would have been cut off of the body, and strewn around the tomb, but this was not the case. Pastor Don likened it to a cocoon, the remains after a butterfly emerges – the shell of the wrappings was still there, but Jesus was not.

  Pastor Don reminded us that the spices used were gummy, sticky spices and it would have been a mess if someone had tried to steal the body of Jesus, but there was no mess, just neatness and order.

  We then looked at passages. Luke 23:50-24:2  Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Luke 24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

  Pastor Don said that they observed the tomb and how His body was laid, and then went to gather the spices, planning to return after the Sabbath to complete their task. Early they came to the tomb and discovered the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus not in the tomb. Had there been indications of grave robberies, that would have been shown.

  Mark 15:42-Mark 16:4  Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. Mark 16 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.

  The same facts, and we find that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome brought spices to anoint Him. They were concerned about how to roll away the stone, and the stone was already rolled away.

  To be complete we looked at Matthew 27:57-61 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

  A new bit of information was included about a guard being posted and the tomb being sealed.

  Matthew 27:62-66 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

  The guards were to protect the tomb, the stone was sealed so that it could not be moved, yet the stone was rolled away. The disciples and the women were not expecting Jesus to have risen from the dead, they also were not expecting the tomb to be sealed, so they came with the herbs and spices ready to work on Jesus’ body, and were probably figuring out how to get the tomb open.

  Matthew 28:1-2 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.

  It was the first day of the week, and all that took place in the tomb took place behind the sealed stone. The angel came and rolled back the stone to reveal what was not inside (she says smiling).

  Matthew 28:3-4 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

  When they looked inside they saw the cocoon of the grave wrappings which would have been stiff, for aloe and myrrh is a stick substance like tar, and it would have had three days to harden. He resurrected out of this cocoon.

  John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

  She goes and tells Peter and John, who come running, for she suspected a grave robbery. It was then that the disciples saw.

  John 20:6-8 Then Simon peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

  The disciples saw a neat scene, and there was no way to get out of those wrappings except by resurrection. If the scene had been a mess, the disciples would have reported that. One of our Messianic believers talked about the custom of the folded up linen meaning that you are coming back. And we know that Jesus is coming back.

  So I think the theories that my friend had make sense in light of the scripture. I wanted to share with you how thoroughly Pastor Don looked at the passages to show the answer from the Word, not from His own opinion.

  Have a great day, and enjoy tomorrow. I can’t believe school starts for my other two on Wednesday. Summer flew by so fast. Where I live some of the leaves on trees are already changing.

  Have a blessed night,

  Heather

   

  • 8:58 pm
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