There’s a teaching that goes around the internet about how the folded face cloth found in the tomb was Jesus saying He was coming back, but Jesus hadn’t left. He was still around and He certainly wasn’t returning to the tomb! The word folded is also translated rolled or twisted. My favorite thought is that Jesus gave it a twirl in celebration.

A teaching the Lord gave me was about clinging to Him. If there’s such a thing as love languages, my main one is touch. I fussed once to the Lord that everyone else could receive love from the Lord in their love language. They could get gifts from Him, have conversation with Him, spend time with Him, etc. But I couldn’t touch Him. He reminded me of John 20 verse 17. Jesus tells Mary to not cling to Him because He hadn’t ascended yet. Jesus pointed out to me that now He was ascended. I could cling to Him. I don’t have Him in the flesh, but I can hold onto Him. And He holds onto me and holds me fast. I place myself in my Father’s hand. And He gave me a husband to hold me and demonstrate a shadow of His love for me.

The disciples didn’t have that peace yet of being held in the hand of God. They had the doors locked because they were afraid. Jesus appears in the room. He doesn’t need the door opened for Him. He offers the fearful disciples peace. They will need it. Jesus is sending them out as the Father had sent Him. They will be persecuted like Jesus. They will be beaten. They will be martyred.

The Holy Spirit will anoint these men for ministry, but in this scene Jesus leaves them with the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. They have the guarantee of salvation, Life itself in them.

John states his purpose in writing this book for us. It was so that we would believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God’s anointed sent to us. He wrote it so that we would become believers, because believers have life in the name of Jesus. It’s by His character and authority that we can be granted life, receiving His divine nature in us by the presence of His Spirit.