The Linens Cloths

Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. — John 20:6

One of the interesting details of the story of the resurrection is the folded linens that they found where Jesus dead body once laid. One can wonder why the gospel writers make a point to mention this detail. Why is this important? There are (at least) three reasons, I think, why the Gospel writers include this detail.

First, the folded linen clothes imply that Jesus’ body was not stolen by thieves, but that he actually came back to life and unwrapped himself. Certainly, thieves would be in a hurry and would not take the time to unwrap the body. Furthermore, why would they want to unwrap a dead body to begin with? The only explanation is a risen Lord.

Second, the folded linen cloths recall to memory the story of Lazarus and his very own resurrection (John 11). In that story, John is intentional to tell us that Jesus commanded them to unwrap him after he emerged from the tomb after being commanded to do so by Jesus. This i the only other reference to linen burial clothes in the larger story, and both stories are about a resurrection. For Jesus, like Lazarus, burial was merely temporary.

The third and final reason is my main point and I wish to get at it by asking and then answering a question. What if they found the linens in different form? What if the linen cloths were strewn about and shredded to pieces? It would indicate a struggle. This isn’t the case, however. Jesus didn’t have to struggle to overcome death, he did it and did it easily, thus says the nicely folded burial linens.

This point is made all throughout the story of Jesus’ life and ministry as we find it in the Gospels. From start to finish, Jesus’ authority is never challenged, or overcome, not even by death—the one foe that no person can ultimately deal with. This is the point that John is making in the opening chapter of his Gospel when he says, “In him [Jesus] was the light of men. The light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1:5)

This resonates with the story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2. God subdues the darkness and abyss of chaos with mere words. It’s not a struggle for him. He need not battle other deities, or manipulate and swoon to get his way. No, he simply says it, and it happens. Creating is easy for him. Much in the same way, overcoming death for Jesus?–piece of cake.

What does this mean for us today? This means that the problems of the world and our individual lives, while seeming impossible to overcome, are so easy for God that it’s laughable. This was the case with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis. It would have been one thing for God to give sterile Abraham a child in his young age, but that’s not what God did. He waited for Sarah to live well beyond the age of child bearing to give them a child. This means that God doesn’t only do that which is impossible, rather he does that which is doubly impossible. When he promises Abraham and Sarah a baby, it seems so outrageous that Sarah erupts into laughter. That is right, the impossible is so easy for God that it’s laughable.