Resurrection

Wow....why would He say that?

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

I mean really? Jesus has just been resurrected and Mary is so overtaken with that truth that she wants to do nothing more than be with, cling to and hang on to Jesus. To touch Him, love on Him, rejoice with Him...to just BE with Him. And yet, Jesus tells her to stop it. There are many differing reasons why. The main thought being that He had not ascended to the Father yet and that He was not staying. Although He was here, He was still going away and she should not cling to Him but rather do what He says...which is GO to my brethren.

Throughout the gospel accounts of this passage, Jesus is consistent about the same command.
In Mark 16:6-7
6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, {here is} the place where they laid Him.
7 "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'"

In Matt 28:5-10
5 And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."
8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me."

And then in the last verses in Matt (just 18 verses later than the previous) He again tells them to Go and make disciples of all nations.

Why is it that Jesus was so plain to say don't cling to me, but rather go and take the word, tell the disciples, make disciples? I am so struck by this thought....and the power that rests behind it. The truth of the Crucifixion and the resurrection are not for us alone. It is not merely for us to cling to and rest in. Oh...I have my get out of hell free card-I am protected. In fact, He was very plain to tell us NOT to sit back and cling to Him and do nothing. His very words to ALL who came in contact with Him after the resurrection were to DO SOMETHING! He gave us an instruction, a command of what we are to DO with the truth we know. We are not to sit back and just cling to it...but GO AND SHOW, TEACH AND TELL others about these things. And yet, how often we sit in our comfort and cling to the God we think we know and never DO what He commanded us to do with the truth that was revealed.

I love that I am CLINGING to Him. I want to be like gum in His shoe, stuck in the crevices and unable to be shaken loose. I want to cleave to Him as if super glued together, unable to be pulled apart. But I also want to be clear on what I am to do-and that isn't just to sit on my blessed assurance, but to GO and SHOW forth the truth. He is ALIVE! And we must cling to and rejoice in that. But if we never make disciples as a result of that....then we are totally disobedient and disrespect what Jesus did for us on the cross. How can we NOT be making disciples when it was the ONLY and last command given by our risen Lord?

ALL FOR YOU