Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”
(which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers
and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God’”
(Jn 20:1-17 ESV).
While there is much to wonder about in this passage, Mary's response is not one of them, which is precisely what I love about John's account.
Once Mary realized who Jesus was, in the confusion of the early Resurrection Morning, she responded exactly as I imagine someone would.
Everything changed in that moment. Life catapulted from worst-case-scenario to only- God-possible.
Yes, Mary witnessed an unimaginable miracle; but she also possessed unrestrained devotion!
Mary, the one who loved much, clings to Jesus. Overwhelming love, worship, and amazement lunged her forward. She wasn't about to let go of her Lord, her Rabboni! A few days separation was more than she could bear.
Are you living in relationship with Jesus to the extent that your life would be unbearable without Him? Do you cling tightly to the One Who Forgives Much, the One Who Saves?
Jesus told Mary not to cling to Him because He had not yet returned to the Father. Curious, I know. But He has now! He has since ascended to His Father—our Father. He has returned to our God, that He may now be with us all in Spirit. He had to return, in order to send the promised Holy Spirit, so that His disciples would not be separated from Him.
But we still must cling.
Hold tight to Him . . . to His truth . . . to this eternal hope we have in Him.
My God, Praise be that You have exalted our Lord in glory! May I daily cling to Him in love and worship, never to let Him go.
Commentaires