In the first two episodes of this article, I had written extensively on the overwhelming evidences why the Shroud of Turin had to be the authentic linen burial cloth that wrapped the body of Christ when he was placed in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and through which his body emanated when he resurrected three days after crucifixion. However, the intent of the two previous articles was not to venerate the shroud into an object of worship or to make it more preeminent over the four canonical gospels.
However, the Shroud of Turin is important and it matters because it can be considered as an undeniable affirmation of the extraordinary life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And thus it is interesting to note that there is an artifact or relic outside of the gospel and outside of the scriptures which unequivocally testifies to the greatest historical event in human history.
Therefore, today I wish to end the discourse on this shroud by highlighting some more interesting facts about this holy shroud because, in my heart, I have come to believe and accept that the Shroud of Turin matters and it has something profound to say to modern-day humanity.
All the four gospels mention about the linen cloth lying undisturbed in the empty tomb. However, the resurrection of Christ was such an unprecedented and awe-inspiring event that the attention and focus of everybody who entered the empty tomb got engrossed in the question of where the body had gone. And in doing so, the shroud was probably relegated to the background in the excitement and confusion of the moment.
The scriptures or any other sources do not mention about who collected the linen cloth from the tomb. How the linen finally ended up in its present location is also not documented by any source.
The book of Acts mentions about many miraculous and historical events which the disciples of Jesus encountered after being possessed by the Holy Spirit. But no mention of the shroud is made. Likewise, the Apostle Paul who wrote almost half of the New Testament also did not mention or refer to the shroud in any manner. In other words, the gospels or the writers of the New Testament did not mention that there is a cloth which has the imprint of Christ and which is the proof of Christ’s resurrection.
And for every believer, their faith does not hinge on the Shroud of Turin. In other words, even if one day it is proven that the shroud is not the burial cloth of Christ, it would not make any difference to believers because the evidences of Christ’s resurrection are overwhelming even without the so-called Shroud of Turin.
Missionaries and evangelists who go to the remotest parts of the world to preach the gospel never mention about the Turin shroud. The American missionaries who brought the gospel to the Nagas also did not tell us that there is a linen cloth in Europe which has the imprint of Jesus Christ. Renowned preachers like William Carey or Billy Graham also never mentioned about the shroud in any of their teachings or writings. This is because faith should be placed entirely in the Living Christ and the Written Word, rather than in physical relics.
Then the question naturally arises why the Shroud of Turin is important or why it matters. I believe it matters because it had its origin in Jerusalem and it resurfaced again after many centuries not to counter the gospel but to reaffirm it.
For centuries, people have believed it to be the burial cloth of Jesus and it passed from hands to hands across several countries till it ended up at its present location. But it is very easy to dismiss the shroud as just another religious relic. For example, there are many wooden pieces held by countless churches and monasteries claiming that the fragments are from the “True Cross”. Likewise there is also the Holy Grail which is claimed to be the cup which Jesus used during the Last Supper. But the shroud has turned out to be different and totally unique from all these artifacts.
It was in the year 1898 that the shroud garnered real scientific and photographic curiosity when a man named Secondo Pia photographed it. And in the last 130 years or so the shroud has gone through microscopic examination under every device and technology known to mankind. And even though scientists and skeptics do not wish to call it the resurrection cloth of Christ, they all agree that it is not natural and that it is totally unique and awe-inspiring.
If the Shroud of Turin actually carries imprint of the crucified Christ and if God himself had designed it to be so to capture the fascination of mankind in due course of time: then it is no surprise that some consider the Shroud of Turin to be the fifth gospel or the modern-day gospel.
In His infinite wisdom, God knew that one day man would invent photography and also create machines and technologies that can study and ascertain every image or imprint. In his infinite wisdom, God also knew that man would calculate the speed of light and sound and also discover about the properties of radiation and atomic reactions. God also knew that man would come to know about hemoglobin, about bilirubin, about molecules and about DNA. So long before photography was invented and long before man could invent machines and technologies that would decode every mystery and enigma in the universe, the Creator God himself left an imprint which would cater to all these curious and exploratory nature of mankind.
In the 20th-21st century era of rapid technological discoveries and unprecedented scientific advancement, the Turin Shroud can best be accepted as an addition and affirmation to the canonical gospels written 2000 years ago. It has resurfaced again after travelling through many lands and through many hands to cater to the scientific curiosity of mankind and corroborate the greatest historical event in human history.
All the scientists, researchers and experts who set out to study the shroud did so with the intent to debunk it and settle the matter once and for all and declare to the world that it is manmade. But they have not been able to do so. The shroud is still an unsolved mystery for science and photography and even people who do not wish to call it proof of Christ’ resurrection, they all agree that it is something far beyond the comprehension of present-day science.
Most historical relics and artifacts are studied and examined and relegated to the museum. But the Turin Shroud refuses to follow that path. And I am certain that as man continues to invent new technologies, the shroud would be put to more examinations in the times ahead. And with every such scrutiny, I believe the shroud would reveal more and more to the amazement of science and mankind. And through these revelations man would be made to realize that what happened in Jerusalem 2000 years ago was not something to be read and confined only to the pages of history or scripture but something that is still keeping pace with the progress of mankind.
Science says that the image on the shroud cannot be replicated and maybe that’s God’s way of telling us that whatever mankind has invented or discovered up to this 21st century is still nowhere near what God has in store to reveal. I believe the Shroud of Turin is a treasure of information exhibiting the magnanimity and goodness of God and the sinful and fallen nature of mankind and maybe in times to come, the shroud will reveal much more to mankind than what is available right now.
Yet, in all His infinite wisdom and unparalleled power, the Creator God still chose to humble himself and be conceived as a helpless fetus and be born and dwelt among us to restore what was broken with a single bite of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and paid everything in full to redeem and restore mankind to its original intended place.
To the amazement of researchers, the feet of the crucified man in the shroud even contained stone particles that can be chemically linked to the limestone of Jerusalem. How amazing is that!
Jesus Christ himself said “seek and ye shall find”. And so, though the gospels have never urged anyone to search for this linen cloth, this linen cloth with the supposed imprint of Christ has resurfaced again, after many centuries of obscurity, to capture and fascinate mankind like no other relic. And this is why I believe the Shroud of Turin matters as it unequivocally pulls us again to the greatest historical event in human history.
