Dressed for Death, Left for Life

Have you ever considered the importance of the grave clothes that Jesus left behind in the tomb? Consider another time when someone rose from the dead.  John 11:43-44 gives us a clear word picture of the appearance of Lazarus after Jesus called him out of the tomb.  He was still wrapped in his grave clothes and needed to be loosed from them.  Now picture the scene of Jesus' Resurrection. John 20:4-8 paints a very different word picture than the scene of Lazarus.  In this tomb we see the grave clothes lying empty and the grave napkin folded neatly.  Why would Lazarus still be in his grave clothes and yet Jesus left his? The answer is simple and yet profound.  One day Lazarus would need those grave clothes again, but Jesus Christ would NEVER again need burial clothes.  He was alive and still is alive today! He left the cloths marked with the stench of death behind as he conquered it for us! Why also would Jesus fold the napkin on his face? For me, and for you! That was his evidence, his irrefutable proof that he in fact was not stolen, but instead RISEN.  As investigators seek for proof for their cases, we as Christians have that proof in a simple folded napkin.  Praise God we serve a living Savior who conquered death once for all time!