"About That Napkin!"

 "And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself." (John 20:7 KJV)

  "When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins." (Isaiah 53:11 NLT)

 This has been a topic of discussion once before; as it was, I was rebuked by someone for having repeated something I heard, for it involved the practice of folding a napkin at a dinner table, as the act of showing you were displeased with the meal or the service you received. As it was, I had found myself doing the same thing, as I finished, (actually, had not finished,) a meal I thought was meant to be a very elegant dinner. 

 Not only did I fold the napkin, but I stacked my plates, stowed my utensils on the folded napkin, and whipped the table off; as if to say, "I really wasn't all that impressed!" However, this is not the message that is given by Jesus, as He was very satisfied with what He had done; not what was presented to Him, because He was treated very poorly by those that were meant to be His people! 

 Basically, this is what is commonly called, "A Twofer," which is something that satisfies two criteria. He was very satisfied by the performance of what He had done; yet, at the same time, not all that impressed by the way His people treated Him. They mocked Him, spitted upon Him, and had Him nailed to a cross; as well as being very pleased with themselves for doing so!    

 Yet, at the same time, this was everything that was written about being fulfilled! Nothing was left undone, His work was complete, the anguish was over, and now it was time to get back to work, making disciples, that make disciples! This was going to be a complete game-changer, to say the least; and He knew it! 

 To be totally and completely accurate, the folding of this napkin was His way of saying, 'This is a whole new set of circumstances! The table has been set, and now it is time to show off the power of God!' By the way, I heard a very significant message yesterday, one that reminded me about things I have seen and heard people say, (myself, included), as if it is totally okay to say them. It involves the simple act of putting limits on the things God can do! 

 You probably know what I am talking about, because it happens all the time. It is when people are praying for certain things to happen but limit the request to the natural things that might happen, as if God doesn't do miracles anymore. Could it be that might be the reason? If you don't expect a miracle, then maybe you don't get a miracle shown to you!   

 Imagine what went through John's mind, at this particular moment! Here he is, fixated the bunched up linen clothes, and then looking over to the place where Jesus had folded the napkin that covered His head. What was Jesus trying to say? Having been released from the linen clothes, yet removing the head covering, and gently folding it, and placing it down to rest.  

 As I said before, John has a way of writing things and leaving lots of room for discovering, as well as our use of imagination. This is how God works! We don't know what God is going to do, as if the way He does things is like we expect them to be done! His ways are far above our ways! If you really want to see a miracle happen, then don't make the miracle about something that could possibly happen...

""O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation's sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the LORD of Heaven's Armies. You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt - things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day."" (Jeremiah 32:17-20 NLT)