Before I leave town on a trip, I clean the house. Like really clean the house. Mop, wash the bathrooms, change the sheets and a host of other things. I lovingly enlist my family, though they never seem as enthusiastic about it as I am. It definitely brings out a touch of my obsessive, compulsive side, but I just hate coming home to a messy house!
Over the years I have given a host of reasons for why it is so important to scrub a toilet before going on vacation, but I have recently landed on the best reason ever:
It’s biblical.
This week I was reading in John 20 and saw that Jesus did the same thing! Now let me set the stage for this necessary house cleaning example given to us by our Lord and Savior. The chapter opens with a few women coming to the tomb where Jesus was buried. They came bearing spices, in which to anoint His body, but were completely surprised to find the tomb’s door wide open. The stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was not there. They ran and found two of the disciples to share the distressing news. And when those men arrived on the scene, they peeked in the tomb and this is what they found:
“He (Peter) saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself.” V. 7.
Did you catch that? The face cloth was folded up and set to the side! Jesus was headed out on a trip to Heaven, but cleaned His room before He left. A little cheezy, I admit, but seriously…
Why did He take the time to fold up that cloth and set it aside?
I pondered this for a while. If it were me and I had just experienced a horrific death and was awakening in a cold, dark cave, I would want out. Right then. I would have shed the linen and hit the road. Gasping for fresh air and desperate to show everyone I was alive again. I might have even come out shouting.
But it wasn’t me in the tomb that day.
It was the Son of God. The Creator. The Holy One. And He took the time to fold up His cloth.
I can’t begin to speculate why Jesus would do that, but I can comment on what I learn from it. I have two main takeaways:
One, Jesus is never in a rush. He doesn’t have helter-skelter moments like I do. He is never frazzled or running late. As a result, I am never forgotten or left behind. I don’t get lost in the shuffle or mistaken for someone else. The moments in my life matter to Him and He doesn’t miss them or fly past them.
Two, Jesus is deliberate. No detail is left undone. And every action is for a purpose. Nothing is lost or wasted on Him. As a result, even the confusing parts of my life make sense to Him. I can choose to rest in the fact that He knows “why.” I may not always make the choice to trust Him, but I know it is an option. And that brings me comfort.
Jesus folded His cloth before embarking on His final earthly trip. The difference between me and Him is He didn’t come back. He folded His cloth and went home. To stay. And one day I will join Him there. I hear He is making a place just for me.
There He goes again… The Deliberate One.
Be Intentional
As you approach Easter this week, take a moment each day to name a way Jesus has touched your life. Pause and sincerely thank Him.
Do you know Jesus as The Deliberate One in your life?
Watch this video to understand how to know Him personally.
