Napkin Etiquette and Jesus

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

In a previous post, we discussed when to fold a napkin. If you leave the table and intend to return, you leave the napkin bunched up on the seat. this will tell the waiter that you are returning and your dinner and plates should remain.

If you fold the napkin and leave it on the table, it means you are not returning.

When you read the account of the tomb of Jesus after the resurrection, you will see that it is mentioned that the cloth that was around the head of Jesus was wrapped together in a place by itself, or folded carefully.

OK big deal, what does this all mean? Well, it was Jewish custom in the day to tell your hosts that you would not ever come back to eat dinner at their home if you folded the napkin carefully at the table. You were obligated to respond to the first invitation. Since Jesus has tasted the dinner of death that the enemy (Satan) had served, Jesus was telling Satan that he tasted his dinner and he was never returning to this place or to death.

And now you know the rest of the story.