Touch Me Not
As I studied a Sunday School lesson concerning the Resurrection, my attention was drawn to the following verse in which Mary Magdalene discovers the risen Jesus Christ standing outside the empty tomb,
John 20:17 (KJV)
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
In this verse Jesus Christ tells Mary Magdalene not to touch Him. Contrast that with the fact that Jesus Christ asked Thomas who doubted the Resurrection to feel His hands and to thrust his hand into His side in
John 20:27 King James Version (KJV)27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Also consider the fact that Jesus Christ allowed the women who met Him to touch Him in
Matthew 28:9 (KJV)
"And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him."
Surely I have read John's account of the Resurrection times and times again. Yet today for the first time I have truly understood why the risen Christ told Mary Magdalene not to touch him or to cling to him as other translations state. I was reminded of
2 Corinthians 5:16 (KJV)
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
Jesus Christ allowed Thomas to touch Him so that he might believe. He allowed the women to touch Him as an act of worship. However, Mary Magdalene's reason for wanting to touch this Savior was so that she might hold on to His physical presence and not lose Him again. She supposed that He was risen as Lazarus was risen to continue to live among them. I can only imagine that she may have held His hand as they had earlier walked through the countryside or how she had ran to caress Him when He had been away from her. I can see that all His followers did this in a very familiar way because of the love they shared with Him. He was no doubt receptive to this action. In essence what He was telling her was that He was going to be with His followers a very short time which in fact was forty days then He was going to the Father. He was telling her to believe in Him, to adore Him as exalted and to worship Him as Lord which is no different from our call today.
Mike Choate
John 20:17 (KJV)
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
In this verse Jesus Christ tells Mary Magdalene not to touch Him. Contrast that with the fact that Jesus Christ asked Thomas who doubted the Resurrection to feel His hands and to thrust his hand into His side in
John 20:27 King James Version (KJV)27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Also consider the fact that Jesus Christ allowed the women who met Him to touch Him in
Matthew 28:9 (KJV)
"And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him."
Surely I have read John's account of the Resurrection times and times again. Yet today for the first time I have truly understood why the risen Christ told Mary Magdalene not to touch him or to cling to him as other translations state. I was reminded of
2 Corinthians 5:16 (KJV)
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
Jesus Christ allowed Thomas to touch Him so that he might believe. He allowed the women to touch Him as an act of worship. However, Mary Magdalene's reason for wanting to touch this Savior was so that she might hold on to His physical presence and not lose Him again. She supposed that He was risen as Lazarus was risen to continue to live among them. I can only imagine that she may have held His hand as they had earlier walked through the countryside or how she had ran to caress Him when He had been away from her. I can see that all His followers did this in a very familiar way because of the love they shared with Him. He was no doubt receptive to this action. In essence what He was telling her was that He was going to be with His followers a very short time which in fact was forty days then He was going to the Father. He was telling her to believe in Him, to adore Him as exalted and to worship Him as Lord which is no different from our call today.
Mike Choate