The sign of the undisturbed grave cloths

I listened to Hal Lindsey last night and he told of the undisturbed grave cloths and of how Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes and Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea wrapped the body of Jesus, then hastened home because it was dusk. Incidentally, myrrh was worth its weight in gold, being an extremely expensive item, and the fact that Nicodemus had so much and used so much, meant that Jesus was not only buried by a rich man but buried AS a rich man. Regarding the wrapping of the body,  I had overlooked that portion of the story, focusing more on Mary’s arrival at dawn after the Sabbath. I searched the bible this morning to see where the verses were that describe this wrapping of Jesus’ body so I could ponder more and verify Lindsey’s presentation of it. Here is what I found:

John 20:2-9

What do they see that caused them to believe instantly, extant of scriptures? This link is the KJV in hypertext to Strong’s so that you can read the Greek words and definitions yourself. Be a Berean.

Here is what they saw:

John 19:39-40


Jews had learned mummification from the Egyptians when they were captives in Egypt. After washing and straightening the body, they would wrap the body in strips of cloth and at each layer would apply the myrrh and aloe until the body was completely wrapped. The myrrh and aloe hardened into a shellac-like substance making a hard encasement out of the wrappings. The head and face would not be wrapped but instead, an embroidered kerchief would be placed over the head.

John at the entrance to the tomb saw the cloths lying undisturbed with no kerchief over the face. The Greek word blepo for this first use of ‘saw’ means simply to look at. Then Peter arrived and went inside the tomb and ‘saw’. It is not the same word, it is theóreó from which we get theory. Peter ‘saw’ and perceived. Then John came inside the tomb, saw and believed. This third use of the word ‘saw’ is eidó, see and comprehend.

John saw a hard case of the cloths in the shape of a man’s body with no body inside!! Like a cocoon, it had not cracked nor had been broken yet indisputably there was no person inside. Further, the head kerchief had been carefully rolled up and placed aside.

He is not here! He is risen!

Do you believe?

For further blessing, here is a discussion of the other signs regarding the fact of the resurrection from the moment Jesus died on the cross till afterwards when many saw Him: