John 20:17 tells us, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”  This scene is the day of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead after His crucifixion.  He is speaking to Mary Magdalene who along with Mary the mother of James, and Salome “had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.” (Mark 16:1).  After Mary had found the Lord’s tomb empty, the Lord appeared to her outside the tomb, although she did not recognize Him.

He instructed Mary to “touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.”  These words have caused some confusion among believers.  Why did He not want Mary to touch Him?  What did it mean that the Lord Jesus had not yet ascended to His Father?  Let’s look at those two remarks.

TOUCH ME NOT – The confusion arises when we see the Lord told Mary not to touch Him, yet we find a little later that His disciples touched Him by holding Him by the feet and the Lord did not object to that.  I believe much of the confusion will be erased by reading John 20:17 in the NKJV.  That says, “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’.”  The word ‘cling’ is also used in the NASB.  The Amplified Bible translates it as, “Do not hold me.”  What did the Lord mean by telling Mary not to cling to Him or hold Him?  Mary had to understand that, although she had great love for Him, she could not keep Him here on the earth, for He had to ascend (go up) to His Father.  It seems that in her great love for the Lord, when she saw Him alive after she had watched Him die, her natural emotions took over and she just wanted to hold on to the Lord, not wanting Him to ever go away.  He gently rebuked her, telling her that He could not stay.  He must return in bodily form to His Father. 

I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER – Upon the Lord’s death on Calvary, He went, in the Spirit, to be with His Father.  We read His words in Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”  He had previously said to the repentant thief beside Him, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).  So, the very day of His death, the Lord went, by the Spirit, to be with His Father in Paradise.  However, the ascension He spoke of in John 20:17 refers to His physical return to His Father.  That occurred in Acts 1:9-11 which says, “And when he (Christ) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”  This is when the Lord Jesus ascended to His Father, just prior to the Day of Pentecost.  (CC)  (650.4)