Creatures of Habit

Small details included in scripture have the potential to reveal more about Jesus and his purposes.

Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the [a]handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself (John 20:1-7, NKJV).

When Peter and John entered the empty tomb, they noticed a folded cloth.

I love these little details. For some reason this folded cloth was cemented in the memory of the eyewitness John and written down some 70+ years later. To me, such details bring a sense of credibility to the account.

Made me wonder, though. Why was this detail included? Why a folded cloth? It resonated with me because I’ve been trying hard lately to ingrain small habits of neatness into my family members, myself included. Simple things – like putting away shoes at the front door. Emphasis on the trying. I’m wondering how long it will take to develop this simple habit for my family.

The folded cloth surprised me because it seemed so out of place. If the body of Jesus had been stolen, surely the thieves wouldn't have taken away a naked body, leaving behind valuable cloth. And, if I had just risen from the dead, I’m not sure I would have paused long enough to fold a cloth, and yet there it was noticed and documented.

I was pondering this with my husband and he quipped “maybe his mother was a neat freak.” Ha. Ha. But then, this explanation rang so true. There in an empty tomb that boldly declared Jesus' divinity, this folded cloth gently told the story of his humanity. Picture this: Jesus breathes in his first breath, wiggles his arms free of the shroud, and then takes the cloth from around his head, and out of habit folds the cloth and places it to the side. Though he had just experienced who knows what in death and had just conquered the grave, this simple human habit of tidiness and order was still there. I realize this is a lot of speculation, and there may be other theological explanations, but I find this image so comforting. It’s a reminder that Jesus experienced the ins and outs of daily life. He grew to understand what it was like to live the mundane and ordinary parts of the human existence.

I think I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what it means to have a divine God who also fully understands the human condition. I'm thankful for this simple picture. Maybe in his youth, his mother had to remind him to hang up his cloak, too.