Jesus' Wrappings Folded Neatly

May 16th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

John 20:3-9 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

One might expect that if Peter and John had stolen the body of Jesus like the Jews suggested (cf. Matt. 28:13-15), they would not have run to Jesus’ tomb so quickly after Mary told them He had been taken. Had they stolen the body or been aware of a conspiracy to steal it, they would not have acted so concerned about it by racing to the tomb. But race they did! Peter, being older and possibly heavier than John, was outrun by John who arrived at the tomb first. When John arrived at the tomb, he was hesitant to enter, so he simply stooped down to peer in. But Peter, in his impetuous style, arrived and entered the empty tomb immediately, astonished.

The only thing in the tomb were the “linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself” (vv. 6-7). John, writing this, clearly noted an orderly scene, atypical of a grave robbery. If Jesus’ body had been stolen, why would the robbers unwrap His body? Transporting Him would have been much easier with the body wrapped. Moreover, if someone stole the body, would not the scene have appeared more chaotic with the linen wrappings scattered? John clearly portrays an orderly scene where Jesus’ body may have risen through the grave clothes without disturbing them, leaving them as a hollow shell—the body wrappings sitting right next to the separate face-cloth. Whereas Lazarus walked out of his tomb wearing his grave-clothes (John 11:44), Jesus passed directly through His linen wrappings the same way He passed through the walls of the upper room when He appeared to His disciples three days later (20:19).

Note three different words describing the perceptions of the two men when they arrived at the tomb. First, in v. 5, John “looking in…saw” (Gr. blepeis) the linen wrappings. This means he had a clear picture of the scene and no longer had to rely on Mary’s account. Second, in v. 6, Peter “saw” (Gr. theōrei). This term means that Peter thought about what he saw, in spite of being confused by it. Third, in v. 8, John “saw” (Gr. eiden), that is, he understood the impact of the evidence his eyes perceived. John’s observations of the scene reveal a thought process, using the physical evidence of the scene to arrive at a cogent conclusion, namely, that Jesus was gone. Though John writes that he “believed,” he also explains in v. 9 that he, at that time, still did not understand the teaching of Scripture, that Jesus had to rise from the dead. He may have believed Jesus had risen from the dead based on what he saw, but he, as yet, did not believe based on the teachings of Scripture (cf. Isa. 53). This means that John did not fabricate a story, or invent a Messiah, to fit the teachings of the Scriptures that predicted His death and resurrection.

Seeing the resurrected Christ was what all the disciples needed to fully understand the empty tomb (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44-47). As to the “Scripture” that John had in mind in v. 9 that speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection, it appears that Isaiah 53 is the best candidate: “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed… His grave was assigned with wicked men… He will see His offspring… and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand… He will see it and be satisfied” (Isa. 53:5, 9, 10, 11)—death, burial, and resurrection!