I was reading the part when Jesus has come out of the tomb (or grave according to Bond *1) and speaks to Mary. How does that relate to me?
“Don’t touch me for I have yet to ascend to my Father”
John’s Gospel Chapter 20 v 17
Much has been said about the reasoning for this recorded statement. Was it that the Jesus that Mary had seen, followed, loved and worshipped for such time was no longer the same person? She certainly recognised his voice.
Was this Jesus in front of her, with wounds from nails in his angles and wrists, and possibly in his sides as well, (*2) not the same person?
And he was to ascend onwards to his Father…the Greek believed original word infers that it is in process.(*3)
In this single statement we have the past, present and future intrinsically interlinked, woven together. Is that the same with us?
Our past, our history may well be the very foundations of our life. What our fore-fathers – did our mothers never say anything worthy to us : my Mum did! – have spoken has framed our lives, given some structure. However, with #Covid-19 I doubt that they had imagined such a structure for today.
Those events, those thoughts from the past, mixed with our perceptions, seem to struggle to relate to the present. There appears a rupture in those lines linking the past to the present. – is that why we may be struggling? Or is it that we hold on so tightly to those past traditions that we do not feel free to go with the way we are being carried?
I have learnt, at some cost over recent months, that I can control what might influence my life and what others do is their choice. Not exactly ground breaking but hey it’s taken me 57 years to grasp this!
I’m starting to reflect upon those thoughts that re-surface, ponder why they may have a ‘theme’ and why that might be. I’m starting to ask myself whether those thoughts and the perception I have drawn from what I have done in the past are …actually…correct. If not, am I being weighed down by such ballast and need to be free from such drag.
So, currently, the present me is starting to move forward. I am trying to disassociate myself from those thoughts which try to irrationally critique what I do, hear those criticisms from others and decide which of them are valid – for these are the ones I will act upon. The others have their perceptions, ones that they may carry if they wish – that is their choice.
This leaves me free to consider the future, which currently is far from certain – and that was before the Corona Virus struck…
I recall one moment when something earth-shattering occured. You can read about it here. Suddenly, everything we had ever expected was now being ‘ripped’ from us – or so we thought – we had no control,. But, in reality, we never did – those aspirations, those dreams were never ours in the first place. They were our plans for our child – they were always their domain, never ours.
So, I’m feeling today that I live in the present – for that I can control. The past may be where I have come from, formed me to some degree, but it does not define me in the present. The future is what I can look forward to, albeit it’s probably going to change! I’ve gone from aircraft navigator to teacher to Church Minister – I never would have thought that at 18…
Jesus in that single statement, may have been stating that the past has gone, albeit it had framed his life. Mary recognised the present and knew of that love, the joy of being in relationship. Importantly, the future was ahead, beckoning. And the disciples were unsure of that as well – but they still had hope.
Bibliography
- Bond, Helen. K., The Historical Church – A Guide for the Perplexed, (London : Bloomsbury, 2012), p. 171.
- Sanders, J.N., & Mastin., B.A., A Commentary on the Gospel According to St John, (London : Adam & Charles Black, 1968, 1975, 1977), p.430, footnote 4
- Ibid , p. 429
Those words of Jesus “don’t touch me…” are puzzling… I don’t think I had thought about them much before, I think I had assumed that Mary had rushed to embrace him or fall at his feet and Jesus had unentangled her saying gently to her that she needs to now let go, move on and go tell her brothers and sisters that Jesus, their Lord is here, risen and alive….in other words I suppose I thought the need was not to hold on too long, to let go and move on to tell the others….I don’t think I realised it was not to touch at all….
Thank you too for sharing your earth shattering moment….I feel honoured that you feel able to share it with us here…. Again, another assumption….I had not realised that the events were so recent….
Thank you for sharing.
Julia g x
Did Thomas actually touch, put his hands into the wounds…or did he stop at the invitation?
That’s a good question…. I need to re-read that bit too…