Touch Me Not
After His resurrection, Jesus told Mary not to
touch Him. But later He told Thomas to touch Him.
Jesus tells
Mary, “Touch Me not” (John 20:17,
KJV).
Later,
speaking to Thomas, He says, “Reach hither thy finger and behold My
hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side” (verse 27).
The seeming incongruity of Jesus’ statements is
resolved when we examine the language Jesus employed and consider the basic
difference between the two situations.
In John 20:17, the word ἅπτομαι
(haptomai hap'-tom-ahee) translated “touch” is a Greek word
which means “to cling to, to lay hold
of.”
This was not just a touch; it was a grip.
Obviously, when Mary recognized Jesus, she
immediately clung to Him.
“And behold,
Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took
hold of his feet and worshiped him.”
Mary’s reaction was motivated, possibly, by
several things. One is simply her loving devotion to the Lord.
Mary is overwhelmed by the events of the morning,
and as her grief turns to joy, she naturally embraces Jesus. Another motivation
is Mary’s desire to restore the fellowship that death had broken.
She had lost Him once, and she was going to make
sure she did not lose Him again - she wanted to keep Jesus with her always.
Also, Mary may have been thinking that this was
the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to return (John 14:3), in which case
He would take her (and all believers) with Him to heaven.
However, it was not Jesus’ plan to stay in this
world always, and His resurrection was not to be seen as His promised return.
That is why He tells Mary of the ascension. His
plan was to ascend to the Father and then send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7; 20:22; Acts 2:1-4).
Fellowship with Jesus would continue, but it
would be a spiritual communion, not a physical presence.
In loosening
Mary’s hold on Him, Jesus was, in effect, saying this: “I know you desire to keep Me
here, always present with you. I know you want everything to be just the same
as before I died. But our relationship is about to change. I’m going to heaven,
and you will have the Comforter in My place. You need to start walking by
faith, Mary, not by sight.”
When Jesus spoke to Thomas, it was not to counter
a misplaced desire but to rebuke a lack of faith.
Thomas had said he would not believe until he had
touched the living body of Jesus (John 20:25).
Jesus, knowing all about Thomas’s declaration,
offered His body as living proof of His resurrection. This was something He did
on another occasion as well (Luke 24:39-40).
So, both Mary and Thomas needed more faith.
Mary needed faith enough to let Jesus go.
Thomas needed faith enough to believe without
empirical proof.
Mary needed to loosen her grip; Thomas needed to strengthen his.
The resurrected Christ gave both of them the
faith they needed.
If
you are walking through the valley right now because of a death, an accident, a
serious medical condition, a financial crisis, the loss of a job or any other
tragedy, stand on God's immovable promises and let His words bring security to
your soul.
Jesus
removed the sting of death; it has been swallowed up in Christ's ultimate
victory. Do not let death or the threat of death steal your hope.
Let
God's promises guide you like signal lights through your dark valley.
The
future is bright on the other side.
Are
you struggling with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will
play out?
Why
not talk to the God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?
He says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way
you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask
God to show you what to do. Pray the following prayer:
“Heavenly
Father,
I admit that I am a
sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn away from my
past sinful life and begin a new life with You. I receive Your free gift of
salvation.
Please forgive me. I now
receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I believe
and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the
dead.
I
want to receive all that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your
Word says, ‘Whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Romans 10:13).
I believe and confess
that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes unto
the Father, but by Him.
Lord
Jesus, I pray and ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I
thank You that you have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am
born again, has eternal life, and I am now a child of God.
Heavenly Father, thank
You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who is in me now. I surrender my life to
You. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
If
you have just put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have been born into God’s
family.
As
a spiritual baby, you need to grow by feeding on God’s Word – the Bible (1 Peter 2:2).
You
must have a good modern translation Bible and begin prayerfully reading it. Start
in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of John or Paul’s letters to the
Ephesians.
As you read, ask two questions: “What are You, Lord?” “What do You want me to do?”
Also,
you need to join a Christian fellowship where the Bible is taught and where God
is truly worshiped.
God
bless you as you begin your new life with Him!
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