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.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
Mary stood outside the tomb weeping: Peter and John examined the evidence of the empty tomb and John was persuaded that Jesus rose from the dead, though he did not yet understand the meaning of it all. Mary did not yet have the confidence that Jesus was resurrected, so she wept.
As she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb: Mary wanted to see what Peter and John saw, so she made her own examination. Yet in the moment between their examination and Mary’s, something was different in the tomb.
She saw two angels in white sitting: Mary didn’t notice the burial wrappings and their curious arrangement; now there were two angels in the tomb. Mary didn’t seem to react with shock or fear; she probably did not immediately perceive that they were angels (Hebrews 13:2).
They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him: Mary wasn’t thinking or dreaming that Jesus was alive. She believed He was still dead, and only wanted to know where He was so she could do the final work of preparing His body for burial. This is more evidence that she didn’t notice the burial cloths because of the angels.
She turned around and saw Jesus standing there: Mary wondered and worried about where Jesus was, but He wasn’t far away.
Did not know that it was Jesus: Mary certainly knew who Jesus was, and it was strange that she did not immediately recognize Him. Some think it was because she was emotionally distressed and had tears in her eyes. Others speculate it was because Jesus looked somewhat different, retaining at least some of the marks of His suffering.
Why are You weeping? Whom are you seeking? Jesus did not immediately reveal Himself to Mary. It wasn’t to play some trick on her; it was to break through her unbelief and forgetfulness of Jesus’ promise of resurrection.
Tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away: It’s possible that Mary was a large, strong woman and was physically capable of carrying away the body of a dead man. It is more likely that she was simply so filled with sorrow and devotion that she isn’t thinking through her plans carefully.
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” Jesus had only to say one word, and all was explained. She heard in the name and the tone the voice of her beloved Messiah, and instantly called Him Rabboni (as did another Mary in John 11:28).
Do not cling to Me: Some confusion has come regarding what Jesus meant, mostly owing to the phrasing of this in the older King James Version: Touch me not. Some think Jesus told Mary not to touch Him in any way, as if her contact would somehow defile Him. Yet the sense is that Mary immediately held on to Jesus and did not want to let Him go.
Go to My brethren and say to them: Jesus made a woman the first witness of His resurrection. The law courts of that day would not recognize the testimony of a woman, but Jesus did.
I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God: Jesus did not say, Our Father and God, and therefore pointed out a difference between His relationship with God and the disciples’ relationship with God. The One enthroned in the heavens is certainly their Father and God, but not in the identical way that He is Father and God to Jesus.
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Check out verse 17. "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father."
I'm pretty sure when Mary realized Jesus was there, she must have started to run to Him to hug Him.
I wonder if that was in the plan. Jesus would have to deal with this grief and sorrow.
Can't you just imagine, God and Jesus standing by the War Table in Heaven? God says "She's going to try to hug you! Don't let your heart go out to her sorrow. Don't let her talk you into leaving the Mission. She will be very, very, very hurt. You cannot stay there and help her. You have to keep on Mission. So, send her to tell the others. That will help her heal." And can't you just imagine Jesus saying "Ok, Father, I will".
John and Peter were there. The commentary says Mary just had to do her own examination of the tomb and what she saw, according to the commentary, was different. They saw the wrappings and the cloth that was over His head. They were going to solve the mystery.
She saw two Angels. I would guess there were "four beings" when she looked in. There were two humans and two Angels. Either that, or she was so upset that Jesus' body was stolen, that she saw Angels instead of humans. I don't know what I think about this little question. I'll have to ask Jesus when I see Him.
She started to cry. See, that's why I think God and Jesus planned every tiny detail of this Mission before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus was so compassionate, this would be a test, or an obstacle, to overcome. He could stay with Mary, and help her, and let the human Jesus hold her, or He could stay on Mission and get on with the plan.
That's when He assigned her to the task of telling the disciples.
Now, Mary was "just a woman". If she went telling everyone everywhere, the Mission would not have been tarnished or tarried at all, because she was a woman, the people would just say she was deranged in her grief. I bet some men would even say "you know how women are". As the commentary reminds us, she was a woman, she would not have been considered a reliable witness in court, in those days.
Also, if she had gone running into town crying about the missing body .... well, that would have created another mess to have to clean up. Can you imagine what Barabbas would have done with the "missing body" mystery? Would the Temple Leaders get involved? Would they insist on hunting down the body snatchers, so they could ban them from the Temple? Would Rome demand an inquest? Would there be a riot when the people found out?
Jesus planned for Mary's sorrow. He had a Mission for her to accomplish. She would have to explain this to the disciples. She would have to "convince" them to listen. John and Peter couldn't help. They didn't see the Angels or Jesus. They only saw an empty tomb and some neatly stacked wrappings.
John believed her. He wrote her version of the events in his version of the Gospel. He knew human Jesus best. John believed her.
Mary saw Jesus!
Please continue to pray for my Hubby. He came home last night but he is not healed. Hell, the doctor who saw him in the hospital doesn't even take Hubby's insurance. That's enough to set him into anxiety and AFIB again. Please pray for my Hubby. He's going back to the doctor this morning. He's not well.
Thanks
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