“Do not cling to me!”
--The Risen Christ (John 20:17)
Matthew 11:28 28 Come to me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Luke 8:1-2 Soon afterward he went on
through cities and villages, proclaiming and
bringing the good news of the kingdom of
God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and
also some women who had been healed of
evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called
Magdalene, from whom seven demons had
gone out,
Artist: Donatello, circa 1457
John 19:25 25 but standing by the cross of
Jesus were his mother and his mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene.
Crucifix, Sacro Monte di Domodossola(1662)
“Do not cling to me”?
WHY?
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Sybil Andrews (1946)
Mark 15:47 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary
the mother of James saw where he was laid.
Mark 16:1-2 When the Sabbath was past,
Mary
Magdalene
and
Mary the
mother
of James
and
Salome
bought
spices, so
that
they might
go and
anoint him.
2 And
very early
on the
first day of
the week, when the sun had risen, they went
to the tomb.
John 20:1-2 Now on the first day of the week
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early,
while it was still dark, and saw that the stone
had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she
ran and went to Simon Peter and the other
disciple,
the one
whom
Jesus loved,
and said
to them,
"They
have taken
the Lord
out of
the tomb,
and we do
not know where they have laid him."
9 for as yet they did not
John 20:9
understand the Scripture, that he must rise
from the dead.
Why are none of the disciples expecting
Jesus to be resurrected
at that time
Resurrection:
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Death is a one way street (Pagan)
No resurrection (Sadducees)
Not about what happens after you die!
The exile is over?
Messiah (King) does not get killed!
Where are all the faithful of old?
John 6:15 15 Perceiving then that they were
about to come and take him by force to make
him king, Jesus withdrew again to the
mountain by himself.
John 11:23-27 23 Jesus said to her, "Your
brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to
him, "I know that he will rise again in the
resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to
her, "I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet
shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and
believes in me shall never die. Do you believe
this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe
that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who
is coming into the world."
Acts 1:4-7 6 So when they had come together,
they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time
restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to
them, "It is not for you to know times or
seasons that the Father has fixed by his own
authority.
Matthew 16:22 22 And Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it
from you, Lord! This shall never happen to
you."
Luke 24:17 And they stood still, looking sad.
Luke 24:19-21 19 And he said to them, "What
things?" And they said to him, "Concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all
the people, 20 and how our chief priests and
rulers delivered him up to be condemned to
death, and crucified him. 21 But we had
hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
John 14:16-18 16 And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Helper, to be
with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. You know
him, for he dwells with you and will be in
you. 18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will
come to you.
John 20:11-18 11 But Mary stood weeping
outside the tomb, and as she wept she
stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw
two angels in white, sitting where the body of
Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the
feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are
you weeping?" She said to them, "They have
taken away my Lord, and I do not know where
they have laid him." 14 Having said this, she
turned around and saw Jesus standing, but
she did not know that it was Jesus.
15
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you
weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing
him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if
you have carried him away, tell me where you
have laid him, and I will take him away."
John 20:25 But he said to them, "Unless I see
in his hands the mark of the nails, and place
my finger into the mark of the nails, and place
my hand into his side, I will never believe."
Matthew 28:16-17 16 Now the eleven
disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to
which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when
they saw him they worshiped him, but some
doubted.
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said
to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means
Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to
me, for 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.'" 18 Mary Magdalene
went and announced to the disciples, "I have
seen the Lord"- and that he had said these
things to her. (Cf. Gen 3:15!)
Acts 1:4-5 4 And while staying with them he
ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for the promise of the Father,
which, he said, "you heard from me; 5 for
John baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days
from now."
Acts 1:6 "Lord, will you at this time restore
the kingdom to Israel?"
Acts 1:8-11 8 But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the
earth." 9 And when he had said these things,
as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and
a cloud took him out of their sight.
10
And while they were gazing into heaven as
he went, behold, two men stood by them in
white robes, 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why
do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will
come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven."
John 20:27-29 27 Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here, and see my hands; and
put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do
not disbelieve, but believe." 28 Thomas
answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29
Jesus said to him, "Have you believed
because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have
believed."
Are you clinging to the wrong Jesus?
Cling to the Risen and Ascended Jesus!
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 16 From now on,
therefore, we regard no one according to the
flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ
according to the flesh, we regard him thus no
longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38 35 But someone will
ask, "How are the dead raised? With what
kind of body do they come?" 36 You foolish
person! What you sow does not come to life
unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the
body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps
of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God
gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each
kind of seed its own body.
Revelation 21:4-6 4 He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourning nor
crying nor pain anymore, for the former
things have passed away." 5 And he who was
seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am
making all things new." Also he said, "Write
this down, for these words are trustworthy
and true." 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the
spring of the water of life without payment.
The Resurrected and Ascended Jesus:
The Ground and Source of Our Present Work
and Hope!
Cling to the Risen and Ascended Jesus Christ!