Hebrew mind set

Concerning John 20:7 The folded Napkin... a true Hebrew tradition ??

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. Is that significant? Absolutely!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished. If the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m done.”

But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”

He, our master, Yeshua is coming back! Hallelujah!

One thing is true... God is well mannered, a gentleman, full of grace and for Him to fold the face napkin can be no more than good habits. But since nothing He does is without deeper meaning, I find this Jewish tradition consoling.

This idiomatic way was commonplace among the Israelites, as seen here in relation to tasting and eating food:

Ezekiel 3:1 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach,
and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

Here Ezekiel speaks of spiritually “feeding” on the word of God. Yeshua did the same thing that Last Supper night... He was bring to their attention the symbolism of the Seder wine and bread and stating "go study it again" with me in mind. ...

The prophet Jeremiah also uses this spiritual idiom with eating and feeding

Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I
am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Jeremiah 3:15 and I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Yeshua continues using this Hebrew mindset understanding

John 4:32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 The disciples therefore were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.

In the Hebrew mindset, it is all about the connections with those that went before them. These connections have prophetic, God's commandments, feasts, and history... that bind them all together. For example...

In the scriptures, the first bread-and-wine communal meal (at least symbolically communal) is that in which Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of God, brought out bread and wine to Abraham, who returned victorious from battle:

Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

Paul later speaks of how great Melchizedek was because Abraham, the inheritor of God’s promises, gave him a tithe. He states that Melchizedek had no father or mother, meaning only that his genealogy was not traced from the Levitical priestly lineage (Hebrews 7:6). Paul furthermore states that Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness,” and since this man was king over Salem, it also shows him as “king of peace.” (Note that “Salem” means “peace,” and the city of Salem was later named “Jeru-salem,” meaning “foundation of peace.”)

These connections flow in and out of scripture. Melchizedek was a type of Christ in various ways, such as through his priestly ministry. Although Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and thus could not hold the rank of high priest according to the law of Moses, he was spiritually called a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. In this priesthood what mattered was the calling of God, not the genealogy from the tribe of Levi (Hebrews 6:20; 7:11, 12).

Several hundred years later King David acknowledged this when, under God’s anointing, he spoke concerning the future Messiah: “Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Although David was also from the tribe of Judah, he had a revelation on one occasion that he himself could go right into the Temple and ask the high priest for a portion of the twelve breads (Showbread). According to God’s law, only priests from Levi’s lineage (through Aaron) were to partake of these breads, which were made from the Israelites’ grain offerings. These breads were to continually abide in God’s presence in the Temple, and the higher order of priests would partake of them every Sabbath.

David was likely also applying the concept of the Melchizedek priesthood to himself and thus had the confidence to ask for the Showbread on this one occasion. Samuel’s account of this event with David refers to the priestly need to be ritually pure before partaking of the Showbread (1 Samuel 21:1–6). This purity requirement pointed to the Showbread (breads of the presence) as a communal meal at which God
Himself was considered to be present. David (from the tribe of Judah) giving out the Showbread to those with him is a type of Christ giving out the true bread to those with him. This typology could also explain why David’s sons were called priests (kohen in Hebrew, 2 Samuel 8:18).

These Jewish communal meals involved communion with God and one another as members of the Jewish nation who were following the
covenant and law of Moses. Many Israelites were excluded from this Showbread meal, as this represented a future high calling for only those who desired to be closest to God and dwell in His intimate, most direct presence.

So what was God showing back in Melchizedek’s day? Why did God lead that great king and priest to bring bread and wine out to Abraham, just a stone’s throw from the location where David would later be directed to build the Temple?

Many years after Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to Abraham, and after the Israelites returned to Israel from the captivity in Egypt, God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle. One of the first things God commanded for this (and the cups/bowls for the wine libations, Exodus 25:23–30).

Since the Israelites had re-entered this same Promised Land where Melchizedek had lived, this history of Melchizedek bringing out bread and wine to Abraham would have been part of their understanding. David showed this many years later in his statement in Psalm 110:4 (above) about Melchizedek. Thus, some of God’s commandments to Moses (including the Showbread and its wine) would point forward to both the literal and spiritual Promised Land while also reflecting back on the event with Melchizedek. What we’ll see throughout Jewish history is a common thread linking the communal meals—beginning with the bread and wine of Melchizedek, then the twelve breads and wine in the Tabernacle (and later in the Temple), and then through the solemn bread-and-wine services of the Dead Sea Sect and other Jewish groups.

The bread and wine the Messiah served at the Last Supper also pointed forward, for all of these communal meals point to the same Messianic feast or banquet with the king and priest.

Sometimes a picture can explain it best...

When you read, does the way you are taught color the way you see it?

I believe that the High Priest who is passing on the mantel or in this case the breast plate, is the anointer.