Luke 24.51

Post by **_mv01** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:23 am

Jesus told Mary "Do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to My Father: NKJV He was trying to reassure her that he wasnt going anywhere yet.The fact thtathe word cling is used indicates to me that Mary in fact was clinging to Him and rejoicing that He was alive.

Post by **_Roger** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:29 am

Here is the written account in John's Gosple.

Chapter 20: 11-18

"But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they laid Him." Now when she had said this, she turned around, and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him , "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethern and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."

Now if you read further into the chapter you come to verses 26-29

"And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and put it into My side. do not be unbelieving, but believing," And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

So Jesus initially ascended to the Father after His meeting with Mary and later appeared to the desciples on different occasions. But this initial ascension was not what Luke recorded of His being taken up in a cloud in Acts chapter one, which happened later.

Post by **_Roger** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:37 am

Jesus said to her"Do not cling to me"

This is the rendering of the New King James Version. The Greek interlinear translates it as "touch me not".

Post by **_Benjamin Ho** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:32 am

1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:1-3

If you read Acts 1:1-3 carefully, Luke says that he wrote in his first account (which is now the gospel of Luke) about all that Jesus did "until the day in which He was taken up." This day was after "He... presented Himself alive.... being seen by them during forty days..."

To me therefore, it seems that Luke 24:44-53 was a summary of these forty days of his appearance before his ascension. Luke just summarised without mentioning about the trip to Galilee and back (which probably occur after His appearance to Thomas, and this trip to Galilee also gave rise to the fishing incident in John 21).

Secondly, it would be odd for Jesus to give two different instructions on the same day (i.e. the day of his resurrection) -- were they to go to Galilee (Matt 28:10) and to stay in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49)?

Post by **_Steve** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:11 am

Benjamin's points are correct. Luke's account (like the other gospels) gives only a small sampling of resurrection appearances, and compresses the whole forty days into a single paragraph. It appears, at first, to be saying that Jesus ascended (Luke 24:51) shortly after he appeared to the disciples on resurrection Sunday. It is not necessary to see it that way, however.

As for the difference between "touch me not" (KJV) and "don't cling to me" (NKJV), this simply reflects two legitimate renderings for the verb "hapto." In various contexts, it can mean either "touch" or "cling to."

Those who favor "touch" in John 20:17 —as Roger does—usually suggest that Jesus had to make a quick trip to heaven (some say, to sprinkle His blood on the mercy seat in heaven, as High Priest) between his appearance to Mary and His appearance to the other women and the disciples a few minutes later. He could not be "touched" before making this presentation in heaven, it is said, because, as High Priest, He had to avoid defilement.

Those who favor "cling to" (as I historically have), suggest that Mary was hanging-on to Jesus in the hopes that He who had been taken away from her at the crucifixion would now remain forever with the disciples. His words, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father" (on this view) would mean, "Though I am back, do not become dependent upon my physical presence with you. I must leave again. This time, I am going to my Father and you will not see me anymore."

Post by **_Paidion** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:29 pm

Thank you for that clarification, Benjamin and Steve. Basically, it has been my own understanding. I had never previoulsy encountered the other view expressed here, and have been trying to understand the logic of the view from those who hold it.

Post by **_loaves** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:18 pm

I don't believe Jesus appeared bodily after His ascension, but He certainly manifests Himself in "earthly" ways.

Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus. Now, Jesus didn't appear bodily, but He did manifest Himself.

Do I make any sense?

Post by **_schoel** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:00 pm

loaves wrote:Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus. Now, Jesus didn't appear bodily, but He did manifest Himself.

In 1 Corinthians 9:1, Paul says
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?

How else would Paul have seen Jesus but in His resurrected body?
Paul even regards his seeing the resurrected Jesus as one of his apostolic credentials.

Post by **_Roger** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:51 am

Doesn't Jesus have a body even now? He was ressurected as a man. He didn't leave His body on earth when he ascended.

Post by **_STEVE7150** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:26 am

"There is one mediator between God and man , that man Jesus Christ."