Christian Art | Jesus With Mary Magdalene
The Gospel Of Saint John 20: 11-18 | King James Audio Bible | KJV
11 ¶ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 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.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
Mary Magdalene, out of whom seven demons were cast, has remained faithful to Jesus, providing for him through his ministry and staying with him through his death on the cross. Now, while the disciples go back to their homes, Mary remains by the tomb, weeping for Jesus. Her love and sensitivity have led her to be greatly concerned about Jesus. She longs to take care of his body.
In these verses of the Bible, Mary’s journey from sorrow to overwhelming joy happens in stages. She remains by the tomb, seeking Jesus, looking into the tomb. The angels tend the place where Jesus’ body has rested. This is a holy place. The angels see Mary’s distress and, to help her on her journey of faith and understanding, they ask her what is wrong. Mary responds frankly. She is upset because she believes someone has taken Jesus’ body; she wishes to find him.
Mary does not yet know that Jesus’ teachings about his resurrection were a true account of what was to happen. The disciples did not know this either. It is understandable. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is a complete conquest of sin and death, a complete overwhelming of the Old Law. The Jesus Mary seeks is the Jesus she knew just a couple of days ago. She is devoted to the Jesus she knew and continues to love. It is entirely fitting that she should be the first to whom Jesus, now glorified, reveals himself.
Mary’s recognition is not instant. In a similar way, the disciples on the way to Emmaus do not recognise Jesus straight away. Assuming him to be a gardener, Mary persists in her search, begging to be told where Jesus’ body has been taken.
It is when Jesus calls Mary by her name that Mary recognizes Jesus. Jesus now speaks Mary’s name in just the way he must have said it many times before, lovingly, with absolute friendship and intimacy. She is called individually in this way to recognize Jesus, in just the way that we are all called by name, individually, to believe in our Lord and to follow him. Our vocation to be with Christ is, for all of us, a deeply personal and loving calling.
Mary is overwhelmed with love and joy. She clings to her Lord. She has found the man she was looking for. This is the Jesus she knew, and now also he has become more than this, exceeding our human knowledge. Jesus is with us, and yet he transcends our incomplete understanding. Through his sacrifice, we may truly regard his Father as our Father. Jesus knows the Father as the Son. We are now sons by adoption, through Jesus Christ.
Mary must not now cling to Jesus. She will see him again. There is a necessary letting go of her knowledge of Jesus to date, in order to appreciate the new and full knowledge of the Son of God and the New Covenant. And Mary has her mission to fulfil. She is chosen by Jesus to be first to spread the good news to his brothers, the disciples. And what a loving way of speaking of his followers this is, as brothers. May we hear the good news, which Mary was the first to share, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Acts 13: 29-33)
Audio Bible KJV | King James Version | Endnotes
Faith Of Mary Magdalene With Jesus | Jesus Call Me By Your Name
When Mary sees Jesus, she mistakes him for the gardener, but Jesus reveals himself to Mary by calling her by name. However, when Mary tries to touch him, Jesus says: ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.’ (John 20:17 KJV)
This statement might seem to contradict other accounts of the resurrection in which Jesus invites his disciples to touch him and see that he is not a ghost or an apparition. Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about this passage in his commentary on the Gospel of John. He suggests that Jesus’ words were not a prohibition against touching him, but rather an invitation to a more profound kind of contact. Aquinas writes: ‘Christ did not forbid her to touch him, but rather he showed her a more excellent way of touching him, namely, by believing in him with a faith that surpasses sense.’
In other words, Jesus may have been telling Mary not to cling to him physically, but rather to recognize him in a spiritual way. He was not simply back from the dead in the same way that Lazarus had been brought back to life. Rather, his resurrection was a transformative event that had changed the very nature of his being.
Protestant theologian D.A. Carson also comments on this passage, writing that ‘Jesus’ reference to his not yet having ascended to the Father has been taken to suggest that he had to go through some ritual or ceremony in order to complete his resurrection.’
Carson further suggests that Jesus’ words to Mary may have been meant to assure her that he was not simply a resuscitated corpse, but a glorified and resurrected being. By telling her not to touch him, Jesus was affirming the spiritual nature of his resurrection and inviting her to recognize him as such in a deeper way.
Jesus may have been warning Mary not to cling to him in a possessive or selfish way. Jesus knew that his time on earth was limited and that he would soon ascend to heaven. He may have been reminding Mary that his mission was not to stay on earth forever, but to return to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to guide his followers.
Theologians have noted the significance of Jesus’ use of the phrase ‘Touch me not’ in the original Greek language. The phrase is ‘mē mou haptou’ and is used only twice in the New Testament, both times in John 20:17. In other places where Jesus invites his disciples to touch him, a different Greek word ‘psēlaphaō’ is used. This has led some scholars to suggest that Jesus was not simply telling Mary not to touch him, but rather not to hold on to him in a way that would prevent him from ascending to the Father.
Catholic theologian Cornelius Lapide suggests that Jesus may have been telling Mary not to cling to him as if he were still dead, but rather to recognize the new life that he had attained through his resurrection. He writes: ‘The reason why he forbade her to touch him is that she might not believe that he was alive, as if he were a spirit, but he wished her to understand that he was alive, and the same Jesus whom she had known before, but clothed with a new and divine life.’
Catholic theologian Raymond Brown notes: ‘Mary’s clinging to Jesus as the man she knew was inappropriate after his resurrection; what she must do is recognize him as the one who has triumphed over death and is about to ascend to the Father.’
Protestant theologian J. Vernon McGee suggests that Jesus’ words were not a prohibition against physical contact, but rather a statement of his authority and power. McGee writes: ‘Jesus was saying, “Don’t hang on to Me now. You’re going to have plenty of time to do that later on. I have not yet ascended to My Father, and I have some business to attend to.”’
McGee further notes that Jesus’ words to Mary demonstrate his sovereignty over death and his power to give eternal life. He writes: ‘When Jesus said to Mary, “Touch Me not,” he was revealing to her that he had complete control over death and the grave. He could have life or death, whichever He chose.’
R.C. Sproul suggests that Jesus’ words to Mary may have been intended to emphasize the spiritual nature of Jesus’ resurrection, and to teach Mary a lesson about faith. He writes: ‘Jesus wanted Mary to understand that his resurrection was not simply a return to life, but a transformation into a spiritual body. He was teaching her that faith is not based on sight, but on the testimony of the Word of God.’
Jesus once more contrasts the gift of his own body with the manna given to the Israelites to eat during the Exodus, which bread of heaven they ate and yet they still went on to die. Christ is the living bread. He is the bread that has come from heaven. Christ’s origin in heaven is, as John tells us, what sets him apart and enables our redemption. Jesus explains: just as he lives because of the Father, so we live through Christ. We are called to share in his supper and so to have life eternal [ … ]
John 4:13-14 (KJV) ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ Introduction to the Life of Saint Bernadette Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a humble peasant girl from Lourdes, France, lived her life of faith, humility, and divine grace. Born on January 7, 1844, in the small town of Lourdes, Bernadette was the eldest of nine children in a poor and struggling family. Her father, François Soubirous, was a miller, and her mother, Louise, a laundress. The family lived in a former prison cell known as the Cachot, a damp and cramped space, according to their dire financial situation. Despite their poverty, the Soubirous family was deeply rooted in their Christian faith, a foundation that would profoundly shape Bernadette’s life and spiritual journey. Bernadette’s early years were marked by significant health challenges. She suffered from asthma and other respiratory ailments, which often left her weak and unable to attend school regularly. This lack of formal education meant that Bernadette struggled with reading and writing, and her understanding of Christian doctrine was limited. Nevertheless, she possessed a remarkable simplicity and purity of heart, qualities that would make her an ideal recipient of divine revelations. Bernadette’s life changed irrevocably on February 11, 1858, when she experienced the first of eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the grotto of Massabielle. On that cold winter day, Bernadette, her sister Toinette, and a friend were gathering firewood near the grotto when she heard a rustling sound and saw a beautiful lady dressed in white with a blue sash, holding a rosary. The lady, who later identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, appeared to Bernadette over the course of several months, delivering messages of penance, prayer, and the need for a chapel to be built at the site. Despite initial skepticism from her family and the local authorities, Bernadette remained steadfast in her account of the apparitions, enduring intense scrutiny and even ridicule. The apparitions drew enormous attention. Soon, people from all over France and beyond began to visit Lourdes, hoping to witness a miracle. One of the most significant messages conveyed by the Virgin Mary to Bernadette was the instruction to dig in the ground near the grotto, which led to the discovery of a spring. This spring, believed to have healing properties, became the focal point of the pilgrimage to Lourdes. Many miraculous healings have been attributed to the waters of Lourdes, reinforcing the belief in Bernadette’s visions and the sanctity of the site. As the apparitions concluded, Bernadette’s life took a different turn. In 1866, she joined the Sisters of Charity in Nevers, taking the name Sister Marie-Bernard. Her time in the convent was marked by continued poor health and humility, as she carried out menial tasks and lived a life of quiet service. Despite her physical suffering, Bernadette remained devout and accepted her hardships with grace, often repeating the phrase, “I am happier here in my little corner of the convent.” Her unwavering faith and dedication to her religious duties exemplified the depth of her spiritual commitment. Bernadette Soubirous passed away on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35, after a prolonged battle with tuberculosis. Her legacy, however, endured far beyond her earthly life. In 1933, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI, recognized for her humility, faith, and the miraculous events associated with her life. Today, millions of pilgrims flock to Lourdes each year, seeking spiritual renewal and physical healing at the site of her visions. Saint Bernadette’s life continues to inspire countless individuals around the world, reminding us of the power of faith, the virtue of humility, and the enduring presence of divine grace in our lives. To Visit Lourdes Visiting Lourdes, in the picturesque foothills of the Pyrenees in southwestern France, is an experience that transcends the physical journey, drawing pilgrims into a profound spiritual adventure. The small town, known for the Marian apparitions witnessed by Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, has become one of the world’s most revered pilgrimage sites. As we approach the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the atmosphere is imbued with a palpable sense of reverence and anticipation. The grand basilicas, the tranquil Grotto of Massabielle and the gently flowing waters of the miraculous spring together create a sacred environment that invites reflection, prayer, and a deep connection with the divine. The focal point of any visit to Lourdes is the Grotto, where Bernadette experienced the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here, pilgrims can touch the rock face, light candles, and drink or bathe in the spring’s water, believed to possess healing properties. The profound silence and sense of sacredness at the Grotto allow visitors to contemplate their faith, seek solace and find spiritual renewal. The Rosary Basilica, with its mosaics, and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, perched above the Grotto, offer spaces for communal worship and personal meditation. The nightly candlelight processions, where pilgrims from around the globe unite in prayer and song, highlight the universal bond of faith and hope that Lourdes represents. Beyond its physical beauty and historical significance, visiting Lourdes offers a deeply personal and transformative experience. Pilgrims often arrive burdened with ailments, grief, or spiritual crises, seeking comfort and miracles. The stories of healing and faith that emerge from Lourdes are testimonies to the enduring power of belief and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The communal aspect of the pilgrimage—sharing meals, prayers, and stories with fellow believers—fosters a sense of solidarity and mutual support. For many, the visit to Lourdes is a journey of healing, not only of the body but also of the soul, providing a renewed sense of purpose, peace, and spiritual clarity that lingers long after returning home. Prayer With Saint Bernadette Prayer for Intercession Dear […]
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