John 20:17

New King James Version

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

For Your Encouragement

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not returned to my Father.”

Strong words but wrapped in love and very defining words that point to a new way of relating to His disciples! Mary would have loved to keep holding on to the feet of Jesus in the Garden of the Resurrection, but it was not to be.

Give credit to Mary. She loved too much to let the story of her Lord end in the hurried way Joseph and Nicodemus laid Jesus to rest. He deserved better, so she prepared her spices for a proper embalmment. The rest of the women had gone home after seeing the empty tomb, and the men were doing everything to preserve their lives. They could not believe the story of the empty tomb, but Mary had a theory. Somebody had the body, and she was going to find it, so she returned for more investigation. Alone, she stood in the garden on the misty morning of the first day, tears bathing her face and a heart yearning for an answer—a dead body to find and decorate (Jn. 20:10-14).

She looked through her tears for someone to ask about Jesus’s dead body. What she did not know became the surprise of her life and her unspeakable joy — a living Jesus to behold.

“Woman, why are you crying?”

The two angels had asked the same question a few minutes ago when she looked into the tomb (13). Now she was facing a man she thought was the gardener.

“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Grace finds the broken-hearted to embrace and warm in the lonely places where hope runs thin. It is the most precious gift from the Savior to His beloved, and there she was—a lonely and broken soul to embrace.

“Mary.”

She knew that voice. She could pick it from a crowd of a million people.

Rabboni!”

Mary had come for a body to bury, but her love and persevering faith had yielded the living Christ and Lord. What joy filled her heart — the surprise of the early morning of the first day! Going on her knees, Mary clasped His feet tightly. What else could she do? A hug was inappropriate, for she was before the Holy, and the only appropriate response was worship.

Your tears may have become your food, as David said (Psalm 42:3). It may be the death of your dear parent, spouse, child, sibling, or friend you are mourning. You have shared your lives for so long, and now that they are gone, you are distraught and do not know what to do. Like Mary, you often return to their resting place, holding on to them with the faint hope of: “Maybe.”

Hear the voice of the Savior calling your name, “Mary!”

Your loved one is not in that cold and dreary place but resting in my bosom and the secure presence of Jesus because of their saving faith in Him. One day soon, you will see them again in His kingdom to enjoy the everlasting life He promised us.

So, let this warm your heart this morning and allow His joy to strengthen you.