John 20:17 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.'"
Wow, did Jesus actually tell Mary Magdalene not to cling unto Him? Yes, He did, and I’m sure she would’ve wanted to hold Him so tight and never let Him go or let Him out of her sight again. I think we all would have wanted to cling unto Jesus after the resurrection, glad that He is with us again like before the cross, right?
Yet, Jesus' answer unto Mary was so profound that she went straight away to the disciples to tell them the great news of where He was on His way to, just as He revealed unto her: His Father, which is also now our Father; His God and also our God!
Jesus wanted all His disciples to know who we were about to keep our eyes upon and cling to, because have you ever read what Mary called Jesus when He made Himself known after the resurrection? She called Him Rabboni, which means "Teacher" (John 20:16). See, Jesus wanted Mary and all of us to know that He wasn’t just our Teacher and our Saviour, but also the Risen Lord, our High Priest forever.
The Hebrew writer made Him known as follows in Hebrews 9:11-12, which says, "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation." Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
To this day most people would want to cling to Jesus in the flesh just like He was seen and known during His ministry before the cross, yet now we get to cling unto Him as the exalted Risen Lord through faith, knowing He is our High Priest forever, our Advocate in heaven, making us righteous in Himself next to our Father till His glorious return as King!
No wonder Mary Magdalene didn’t even hesitate to go straight away to the disciples with the great news that He was on His way to the Father.
His words to Mary Magdalene, "Do not cling to Me," weren't a rebuke; they were a revelation of who He was, which brought comfort to her and to us, not just because we know where He was going, but what He was going to do from heaven at the Father's right hand, so that we can now hold firmly unto Him through faith and not by sight as Lord, not by till His return as King.
Amen