“Jesus replied, ‘Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them what Jesus had said to her.” —John 20:17–18
Mary’s actions remind me of the wonderful Hebrew word batah, often translated as “trust” in the Old Testament. It means “to attach oneself, confide in, feel safe, be confident, secure; the basic idea signifies firmness or solidity; denotes a confident expectation” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible Old Testament Lexical Aids).
Oh, the love Mary had for Jesus! With all her might, she wanted to hold on to Him! She simply never again wanted Him out of her sight. The thrill of seeing her Master alive and standing before her created within her an immense excitement and an extravagant joy. I wonder, do I love Jesus like that? Do you?
No one had loved Jesus or clung to Him more tenaciously than she, and she was richly rewarded for this by being the first to see Him. Richard Cecil, an Anglican priest in the eighteenth century observed, “Singular honor is reserved for solitary faith. Mary has the first personal manifestation of Christ after His resurrection. She is the first witness of this most important and illustrious fact, and the first messenger of it to His disciples.”
Jesus forbids Mary to cling to His bodily presence as before, leading her rather to a spiritual communion which she will enjoy with Him even after His ascension. What perhaps seems harsh to us is actually Jesus lovingly pointing her to look higher. The best service she can now do for Him is to go and tell others. This was the very first work that our risen Savior proposed to John as well. Jesus calls Mary to active duty to others—to arise and be useful. He calls every one of us to this as well.
Mary becomes an apostle to the apostles in reward for her faithfulness in clinging to Christ. She was comforted by the sight of her Master and now she is sent with the good news to comfort others.
Become More
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5–6
“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” —Augustine
Further Reflection
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” —Isaiah 26:3