One of the most puzzling things to occur after the resurrection of Jesus happened when Mary first realized that he was alive. According to John 20, Mary is weeping outside of the tomb of Jesus. The tomb is open, but Jesus’ body is missing. Mary thinks that someone has stolen his body.
Suddenly, Jesus appears before Mary. In her mixed emotions of grief and excitement, she reaches out to embrace Jesus. Jesus responds by saying,
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. (John 20:17)
Someone sent me an Ask The Pastor question about this passage. They want to know why Jesus said that to Mary.
They didn’t ask the second part of this question that is often asked. Why did Jesus tell Mary not to touch him and yet he allowed Thomas to feel the nail prints in his hand? It seems like a contradiction.
I don’t believe it is.
In the case of Mary, one must understand the Greek word behind the English word, cling. It speaks of a grasping, a refusing to let go. In other words, Mary was wanting to grap hold of Jesus in such a way as to never let him go again.
Have you ever lost your child in a busy place? Have you ever forgotten your four year old daughter at church only to have the secretary call you and ask if you might be able to think of something you may have left at the service? I have. (Okay, so I did it twice. Don’t hate me.) There is a sense of panic one experiences when you think you’ve lost a child. When they are found, you often grab hold of them in such a way as to never want to let go again.
Mary wanted to cling to Jesus in this way. To never let go. So that he would not be able to leave again. And yet, he had to leave. He had to ascend to Heaven so that we would have the Holy Spirit. It was his purpose. In a sense, Mary was trying to stop Jesus from fulfilling his purpose because of her own grief and sorrow.
So, why did Jesus allow Thomas to touch him? Because in Thomas’ case, Jesus was proving that he was who he said he was. That he had indeed rose from the dead. He was resolving doubt, not changing course.
The Bible speaks about our heavenly bodies. We don’t really know what it means or what our bodies will be like in Heaven. We do know that they wont be our earthly bodies. There is a transformation that occurs. Perhaps the same is true of Jesus body. Something was happening, and at that moment, he was trying to teach Mary that she had to allow it to continue.
Hope that helps!
