Very early on Resurrection Sunday Mary Magdalene and another Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, were the first to discover the empty tomb, at which time they also experienced an angelic vision announcing Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. They were also the first to meet the resurrected Jesus, but not until after their vision had given way to the more rational explanation that Jesus’ body must have been removed by someone. And even if by some miracle He had been raised from the dead, how could He have escaped falling back into the hands of His enemies since there was a Roman guard posted at the tomb? For they as yet could not conceive of the entirely different, spiritual nature of His imperishable resurrection body as opposed to the natural, corruptible body with which they were familiar, that although possibly resuscitated from the dead like Lazarus’, was still subject to death; contrast Luk 20:35-36, and note that although others like Lazarus had been raised from the dead, Jesus was the first-born from the dead never to die again; cf. 1Co 15:20, Col 1:18, Rev 1:5, and see also Psa 2:7, Act 13:33, Rom 1:4. And so it was that when Mary Magdalene first saw Him, she didn’t at first recognize Him, but mistook Him for the gardener—an appropriate appearance as the second Adam into Whom we can be born again. John notes that it was only after He called her by name that her heart was turned to see Him as He actually was, not as she had imagined Him to be (Joh 20:16). What else does Matthew note about their first encounter with the risen Savior? See Mat 28:9a and note that the NAS met them and greeted them is literally, met them saying hello, or greetings. Note also that the word for hello or greetings also means rejoice, be happy, be glad; i.e., to greet someone is to express tidings of happiness and goodwill. Could there be any more joyous greeting than this in all the history of the world? Do our own Christian greetings express the same sentiment of joyous well-wishes to others? Cf. Rom 16:16, 1Co 16:20, 2Co 13:12-13, 1Th 5:26, 1Pe 5:14.
What does Matthew say that the two Marys did when He greeted them and they recognized Him for Who He was? See Mat 28:9b, and note that took hold of translates the Greek κρατέω,a strong word often rendered as to hold fast or even to seize or arrest someone. After seeing Him die and then wondering what had become of His body, why would they have clung so tightly to Jesus when He finally appeared to them and they recognized Him? See Sol 3:4; cf. Act 3:11 where the same word is used. What does the fact that they were able to cling to Him teach us about there being a physical nature to His resurrection body, that although different in appearance, could still be handled? See again Luk 20:35-36 and cf. Gen 32:24-30. How does the fact that they were laying hold of Him as if to never let Him go help us to understand the intent of Jesus’ words in Joh 20:17 touch me not (KJV), or stop clinging to me (NAS), especially when just ten verses later in Joh 20:27 Jesus would tell Thomas to touch and handle Him to see that He was alive and well and not just a vision or ghost? See also Luk 24:39, 1Jo 1:1. Note too though that as strong as the word Matthew used for how the two Marys had laid hold of Jesus, the word John says Jesus used to tell Mary to stop touching Him refers literally to just a slight touch, as of those who wanted to just touch the fringe of His cloak to be healed (Mar 6:56), or of Jesus touching the eyes of the blind or tongue of the dumb to heal them (Mat 20:34, Mar 7:33).
Why did Jesus say Mary needed to not only loosen the death-grip with which she was holding Him fast, but even to stop physically touching Him, be it ever so lightly? See Joh 20:17. What is the connection between Jesus’ ascension and why it was no longer appropriate for her to know him only in the sense of being in His physical presence as had been the case during His ministry on earth? See Joh 7:39, 16:7, and cf. the NIV rendering of Joh 20:17, do not hold on to me. Think too: having just met the risen Lord and having come to believe that He really was alive, what would their expectation at that moment have been about His future ministry to establish His kingdom on earth? Could they have imagined it as it actually came to be, i.e., through His people, filled with and empowered by His Holy Spirit but without Him physically present to guide and direct them? Should we not then understand His words to her as, “Stop clinging to me physically, for I have yet to ascend to the Father; then you can cling to me forever as you must learn to do so—not after the flesh, but spiritually”? Cf. Joh 6:62-63.