What is the significance of the folded napkin in Christ’s tomb after the resurrection?

Answer

The detail of the folded napkin is mentioned in the account of Jesus’ resurrection in John 20:7, “And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself” (KJV). Various respected translations of the Bible interpret this verse differently. Three of them use the term napkin (KJV, AS, RSV). Others interpret it as “burial cloth” (NIV), “handkerchief” (NKJV), or “face-cloth” (NASB). The Greek word is saudarion, derived from a Latin word for “sweat.” It can refer to a towel for wiping sweat from one’s face. In Greek, it denotes a towel or cloth, but not specifically a table napkin.

The other significant word is folded. Was the burial cloth or napkin left folded in the tomb? Two translations use the term folded (NIV, NKJV). Others translate it as “rolled up” (NASB, ASV, RSV) or “wrapped together” (KJV). The Greek word is entulisso, which may mean “to twist” or “to entwine.” The bottom line is that there is no consensus on whether it was a table napkin and no agreement on whether it was neatly folded in any particular manner. The main point of John 20:7 is that the cloth covering Jesus’ head or face during burial was separate from the rest of His grave clothes. The significance of this, if any, remains unknown.

There has been speculation that folding the napkin at the table is a Jewish custom indicating the person folding it plans to return. Many sources on Bible study have been consulted, but there is no mention of this supposed Jewish custom of folded napkins. The only references to this tale appear to be from online posts and emails dating back to 2007.

Numerous Bible commentators and writers have used this creative illustration to draw specific parallels to the resurrection and return of Jesus Christ. The reality is that table napkins, like those we use at meals, do not have any known symbolic significance in Jewish customs or biblical teachings.

Customs that we use today were not practiced in Jesus’ time. Jews would perform a post-meal hand washing as part of their dining ritual. While washing hands before a meal was obligatory as per rabbinic law, there is no mention in early rabbinic sources of how hands were dried after washing. The tradition of folding a napkin to indicate that a diner is not yet done may be a common European practice, but it seems that this tradition was unfamiliar in the region of Israel during Jesus’ era.