A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Embracing Jesus" 
With eyes cast down toward the ground swollen from crying and her mind occupied with the question about where the body of Jesus could be, Mary heard a man in the garden near the tomb where Jesus' body had been placed, speak to her. He asked, "Woman, why are you crying?" She raised her head and peering through tear clouded eyes she pleaded with the man to reveal anything he can about where Jesus' body might be found. It is no surprise that she did not recognize the man. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. Ah, but when He called her by name, "Mary," she did not need to see clearly to know who it was!

She ran excitedly to Him, threw open her arms to embrace Him. Before she could get her arms around Him, Jesus quietly said: "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." (John 20:17) His words seem abrupt and uncaring. What did He mean by this? Why did He stop her.

These words have been interpreted in several ways. Some think that Jesus, as the high priest who will offer the sacrifice of His own blood in the heavenly Tabernacle, needed to remain ritually clean. Others have said that there was a scribal error. By changing one letter it could read "do not be afraid." Michael Card suggests that Jesus was telling Mary that she need not hold on to Him for He was not going away just yet. We can be sure He didn't say, "don't touch me," for we know that Jesus invited some others to touch Him.

It would seem that "don't hold on to me" is the best rendering. And possibly Jesus was almost assuringly saying to Mary, "Don't worry, I'm not going just yet." Or He may have been saying, "Mary, You don't need to hold on to my bodily form. I haven't yet ascended to the Father, but I will be soon and then you will hold on to me by faith."

During Holy Week several years ago all major U.S. national news magazines featured articles on Jesus and His resurrection. In every article I read, the quest for the historical Jesus was mentioned. You may have never heard of this, but it is an attempt by scholars to find the "man Jesus." This process includes removing all the "myth" and "oral tradition" from the gospel accounts to find the "actual words and deeds of Jesus." In some ways, this is much like Mary wanting to hold on to the "man" Jesus. Granted, there is more to this quest, but don't we all at times wish that Jesus were still here in the flesh so we could hold Him. We are like the young girl who came into her parents' room frightened in the night by a thunder storm. Her mother comforted her by telling her, "you don't need to be afraid, Jesus is in your room with you." She took the child back to her room and tucked her into bed. When she reached the door of the child'sroom to return to her own room her daughter called out; "Mommy, why don't you stay in here with Jesus and I'll go in with daddy. He has skin!"

Jesus told us that it was better for us that He return to the Father. We do not need to find the historical Jesus. We need to know Him, through faith. We do not need to physically hold onto the "man" Jesus. We need to embrace Him, through faith. One day we will see Him face to face, but for now, we know with Him and we live in His presence by faith. As a popular chorus says, "He is here, Hallelujah! He is here, amen. He is here, listen closely, hear Him calling out your name. He is here, you can touch Him and you'll never be the same" - by faith!

Keep Close To Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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