seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 20:11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
This is such a tender scene. Mary really loved her some Jesus. She was devastated finding the tomb empty.
This is from enduringword.
This also argues for the historic truth of this account. If someone fabricated this story, they would not make the first witnesses to the resurrection women, who were commonly (if unfairly) regarded as unreliable witnesses.
“Celsus, the anti-Christian polemicist of the later second century, dismisses the resurrection narrative as based on the hallucinations of a ‘hysterical woman’.” (Bruce)
My brethren: It is touching that Jesus referred to His disciples – those who had all forsaken Him, except for John – as His brethren. It’s also touching that Mary understood exactly who He meant.
“I do not remember that the Lord Jesus ever called his disciples his brethren till that time. He called them ‘servants’; he called them ‘friends’; but now that he has risen from the dead, he says, ‘my brethren.’” (Spurgeon)
This is from the blueletterbible site.She said to them: This is one of the few places in the Bible where someone encounters angels and they are not stricken with fear. It shows that Mary was so grieved at the loss of Jesus that she was unaffected even by an appearance of angels.
Do not cling to Me: Why didn't Jesus want Mary to touch Him? Actually, the ancient Greek construction of this phrase "means to stop an action already begun rather than to avoid starting it. " (Tenney) Mary was holding on to Jesus and did not want to let Him go.
This shows that the resurrection body of Jesus was different, yet similar to His pre-resurrection body. It was definitely real and tangible, and Jesus not a phantom.
"Jesus was not protesting that Mary should not touch Him lest He be defiled, but was admonishing her not to detain Him because He would see her and the disciples again. " (Tenney)
Go to My brethren and say to them: The fact that Jesus makes a woman the first witness of His resurrection is significant. The law courts of that day would not recognize the testimony of a woman, but Jesus did.
This also argues for the historic truth of this account. If someone fabricated this story, would they make the first witnesses to the resurrection women, who were commonly (if unfairly) regarded as unreliable witnesses?
This scene took place early in the morning.... Sunday morning. Jesus was arrested Thursday evening.... He was crucified on Friday.... He was laid in the tomb before sundown on Friday..... He was alone all night Friday night.... all day Saturday.... and all night Saturday night.... and then early Sunday morning.... He was up.... walking and talking. The linen that had been soaked in herbs and wrapped around His naked body had hardened into a protective shell.... holding down any "perfume and bloat of death"..... It was still there on the bench ... it was not ripped or torn... it was not cut... it definitely wasn't broken to pieces.... it was still there... in tact... but the body was not in the wrap.
Mary went to the tomb early Sunday morning... right at dawn's first light. She probably hadn't slept since He was arrested Thursday evening. Mary was not a "reliable witness" according to the "law". The commentaries.... along with all the stories I've read so far in the Bible..... all explain the "law" required two men to be witnesses. Women weren't even allowed in the courtroom... let alone on the witness stand. Women were no better than slaves.... they were to have babies and clean the house.... women were second class citizens.... and back then... women had to go cleanse once a month.... so they were known to be hysterical.
There is a statement that says "you can't make this stuff up". It appears that's what the commentaries are saying. The reason the commentaries believe that Mary, a hysterical woman, was the first person to talk to Jesus after the Cross is this.... "It's so unbelievable... that it makes it believable".
Now... I don't know if the physical body of Jesus had to go through some kind of restoration after somehow getting out of the linen encasement without ripping, tearing or breaking it.... or if He was just telling Mary He had more work to do... so she had to let Him go so He could do it..... but Jesus probably had to peel her arms off of Him. One last hug.... the commentary seems to agree that Jesus used the term that would mean that Mary was already hugging Jesus and He was peeling her arms off of Him. [see.... two male witnesses... two or more commentaries].
Life is so different now. Can you imagine the media storm that would be created if a male Senator was addressing Congress and he called a female Senator a "hysterical woman"? This are a lot different these days.... women got the vote in 1920. We can be appointed to be judges, let alone be allowed to testify in a court of law. Women are not only witnesses under the law.... women, these days, are making the law. The mere idea of a Woman Senator in the days of Jesus... would have brought on hysterical laughter..... they would have accused the person considering such a wild idea... as a hallucination.
That's why the commentaries all seem to agree... the reason we can believe that Mary was the first one that saw Jesus after He was shut up in the tomb on Friday evening.... is because it is so unbelievable.
John says it happened. John put it in His Gospel. John was the best human friend of Jesus the Messiah. John says she was the first one to see Him alive. John said she was not having a hallucination.....
John says this was more than the hallucination of a "hysterical woman".
