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Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

We all grieve and mourn when we lose someone we love. The healing process takes a long time. We go through bouts of stress, depression, and anxiety. We even question God and ask Him why? Well that’s not a question that we should ask God because He doesn’t make any mistakes. We have to realize that death is a part of life, and we all have that bitter pill to swallow one day. Death came in the world because of sin, and life given eternal is through Jesus Christ.

Jesus comforts us when we are going through those moments of grief. He is always there to give us peace. We never go through anything alone. He said that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He said that He would be with us even until the end of the age. Until He returns, we must keep our faith strong. If you are grieving, call on Jesus. Pour out everything you are feeling inside. He will give you the strength you need to remain strong. If you don’t know Him as your Lord and Savior, call on Him and repent of your sins, He will gladly receive you with open arms. He will change your life forever.

He will give you a new life that you’ve never dreamed of. Just know that His love never fails. His love endures forever. When you feel like no one loves you, Jesus does. He laid down His life for us. He took all of our sins upon Himself so we could free, not separated from God, and so we can spend eternity with Him one day. It is your choice where you will spend eternity. It is your choice who you will follow. It is your choice because God gives us free will. The nails didn’t keep Him on the cross. Love is what kept Him on the cross. The love that the Father had, and still has for us is what kept Him on the cross. On the third day He rose with all power in His hands in heaven and on earth.

No one will ever love us like Jesus can, does, and always will. God is awesome! We serve a mighty God! Whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved! Praise God! Call on Him today. It will be the best decision you can and will ever make for your life, and for your eternal life. As always, this is said with love. Stay safe, stay blessed. Thank you for joining me on my journey with Food for the Soul.

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After the crucifixion of Jesus, the Gospels tell us Joseph of Arimathea buried him. Mark says, “Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock”(Mk. 15:46). While we direct most of our attention to the empty tomb, rightfully so, what became of the linen cloth Joseph wrapped Jesus in? Let’s see how this linen cloth, or shroud, became shrouded in controversy during the Middle Ages with the discovery of the Shroud of Turin.

We adapted this article from the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. This resource helps you understand the culture, customs, and literature of the biblical times.

The Shroud of Turin Controversy

No artifact in the history of scholarship has been the subject of as much debate and study as the Shroud of Turin. This piece of linen cloth is said to bear the front and rear images of a man apparently crucified in Roman fashion. His injuries correspond to those suffered by Jesus, in that he appears to have had his hands (and possibly feet) pierced, as well as his side wounded. In addition, his legs were not broken. Proponents argue that this is the actual burial cloth of Christ, while opponents refer to it as a clever hoax.

The History of the Shroud

Even the history of the shroud is mysterious. The basic details, as we know them, are as follows:

• Its first known appearance was in France in the 1350s. The original owner died in 1356 without revealing where or how he had acquired the cloth.
• A fire in 1532 damaged the cloth, and repair patches were added.
• It has been housed in Turin since 1578.
• Some theorize that the shroud is the same as the Mandylion, a sacred relic of Constantinople that was said to have borne the divine and miraculous imprint of Jesus’ face.

The Mandylion is said to have been discovered in 525 in Edessa, an early Christian city in eastern Turkey. It found its way to the Byzantine capital in AD 944. The shroud disappeared from Constantinople in 1204, when a crusader army looted the city. The leaders of the expedition were French, which could explain the shroud’s westward journey.

Basic Facts About the Shroud

The shroud is a swath of linen cloth measuring 14 feet 3 inches (4.34 meters) by 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 meters). The figure on the cloth is naked, with hands folded across the pelvic area. He is bearded and between 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters) and 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters) in height. The cloth bears a number of extraordinary features.

Features

• Purple stains on it may have originated from blood.
• Potsherds or coins may have covered the eyes. Some argue that the outline of a coin from the time of Pontius Pilate is present, but the fabric is so coarse and the image so unclear that many doubt this claim can be substantiated.
• The image is barely visible up close, and only a rough outline can be discerned by standing farther away. However, when photographed and viewed in negative, the shroud reveals a clear image, formed in such a way that a three-dimensional reconstruction of the man’s appearance is possible.
• The image, on the very surface of the cloth only, is said to be no more than two fibrils (filaments or fibers) deep.
• It was not painted on. Rather, some of the threads were themselves changed to produce the image. Adherents suggest that at the moment of the resurrection Jesus’ body radiated energy and fixed his image upon the shroud.
• The traces of flogging on the body are said to accurately depict Roman scourging. The Romans used a flagrum with two or three leather thongs with a pair of barbed lead balls or sheep bones at the end of each. During whipping, the scourge would tear out pieces of flesh. The 100-plus lash marks evident on the image have a dumbbell shape, conceivably reflecting the use of a flagrum.
• The shoulders of the individual are said to exhibit abrasions that could have been the result of his having carried the crossbar of a cross.
• Studies on the soil and pollen preserved in the fibers suggest that the cloth originated in or near Jerusalem.

Recent Developments

Supporters of the shroud’s authenticity argue that no individual in the Middle Ages could have had the expertise to deliberately create such a piece. In 1988, however, British scientists released the results of carbon 14 testing that dated the cloth to between 1260–1390. The shroud was judged to have been proven a fraud, yet subsequent researchers have argued that the sample for the carbon 14 test was taken from a part of the shroud that had been repaired and not from the original fabric.

In 2002 the shroud underwent substantial restoration, including the removal of the repair patches from 1532. Some researchers fear that this process will limit or invalidate any further testing. The enigma of the shroud continues. It remains either the most significant archaeological artifact ever found or one of the most ingenious forgeries in history.

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