John 20:17-18
Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because 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.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Ah, how frustrating that must have been. For Mary to have seen Jesus – and more than that to have been seen by him and addressed by name – and yet not to be able to hold on to him. Instead, Jesus commands her to go and tell the other disciples that he has been raised and that he is to ascend to heaven.
There were any number of reasons she would want to hold onto him, after all. To make sure he was real, verifying that she wasn’t just dreaming and ensure that what her eyes told her was really true. To hug the one she’d loved and called teacher and lord and had been taken from her. To hold onto him for fear he would leave again. To embrace him and feel the comfort of his presence. Yes, there were any number of reasons Mary would have wanted to hold onto Jesus.
I wonder if we sometimes feel like that. Like all we want to do is to hold onto our Jesus, or our congregation, or our traditions, or our ideas about how church “has always been” and “always should be.” There are lots of good reasons for us to want to hold onto these things too, also dealing with comfort and security and not wanting to lose something precious to us.
Yet we cannot. Just as Jesus told Mary she could not hold onto him but should instead go and share the good news, so Jesus tells us we cannot hold onto our cherished things either, but instead must go and tell. Christianity is not a building or a tradition or a way of doing things. Christianity is a way of being, a way of living, and ultimately a movement that is seeking always to share the good news of Christ and draw others into the abundant life we have found.
“Do not hold onto me… but go and tell…” These are hard words, but important words, both for Mary and for us. She obeyed. Will we?
Prayer: Dear God, enliven our hearts that we may go forth in courage to share the good news of the grace, mercy, and love we have discovered in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: “Do Not Hold Onto Me,” by He Qi.
Beautifully put David! When my wife got breast cancer at the age of 30 (38 years ago and she recovered) the learning for me was that everything I have including my own life is on loan to me from God, much like a demand loan from the banks. It’s never mine to start with and when God calls it in, I’m letting go–voluntarily or involuntarily. In the meantime treasure the experience but know who owns the source. Richness is in His/Her blessings, not in possessions.
You David and your work are part of my richness; please keep these wonderful messages coming.