Jesus said . . . “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” John 20:16–17 (NASB)
Can you imagine what it would have been like to be Mary on that day? Faithfully and quietly going to the tomb to be near Jesus’s body, to tend to unglamorous, needful things. It was an act of worship, in her own way. Some say she was lacking faith because she looked for Him at the tomb—she should have known He was risen, after all. But I don’t judge her. She was limited, human, fallible.
Her world ended with His death. He was her teacher, but much more. Jesus loved her not only for what she was, but who she wanted to be. The world looks at the outside—God sees the heart.
His love had changed her utterly, freed her from her past. But now He was gone. And with Him, her joy and light.
Mary!
She turned and saw her Jesus. And all she can do is hold on.
Stop clinging to Me.
This seems like such an odd thing to say. I believe Jesus saw her desperation, how lost she was without Him. And though (because?) He felt compassion, He wanted her to move on from that place. Not to cling to His physical presence, to what their relationship had been, but to grow stronger. To walk in communion with His Spirit from that point onward.
Faith Step: Are there aspects of your faith you need to release in order to move onward and upward with Jesus? Don’t cling to the past, even if it’s been good. There’s more.
