Our Security for Eternity - the Gospel of John Sample

Read: John 20:1–18

SOAP: John 20:17

Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Into the Text

Jesus’ death came suddenly for the disciples. Within a day the disciples went from sharing a meal with Jesus to witnessing His death at the hands of the Romans. A few days later, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, but the stone was removed, and Jesus’ body was gone. She did not recognize the miracle that had taken place—that the One who has power over death had defeated death. When Peter and the other disciple (whom we know to be John) reached the tomb, they too were astonished. John saw that Jesus’ body was gone and he believed. Death could not change that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to eternal life.

Mary remained at the tomb. When Jesus appeared to her, she did not recognize Him right away. Mary recognized Jesus when He spoke her name—He is the Good Shepherd, who calls His own sheep by name (John 10:3). When she heard His voice, she recognized her Lord.

Jesus’ next instructions may seem strange to us: He commanded Mary not to touch Him for He had not yet ascended to the Father. Instead, she was to go and tell the brothers that Jesus was ascending to the Father. The resurrection changed everything. Nothing would be the same. Jesus’s instructions to Mary showed her that He was not the same, their relationship was not the same, and the way she and the other believers related to the Father was not the same.

Jesus was not the same; His body was made new, resurrected, and whole. He would return to the Father to be glorified. Jesus’ instructions to Mary showed her that their relationship was different. It was not that Mary was forbidden to physically touch Jesus (in the next scenes many of the disciples touch Jesus), but her relationship with Him was no longer based on His physical proximity. Instead, it was based on His saving work and her faith in Him.

Prior to this moment in the Gospel of John, Jesus had referred to God as His Father. Here, He calls God “my Father and your Father.” John indicates a change in the way the disciples relate to God prior to the resurrection. They were now children of God, co-heirs with Jesus. Because of Jesus, they had access to the Father, access to a relationship with Him, and access to eternal life. The resurrection changed everything. Because Jesus lives, we have a secure place in eternity with God when we believe in Him. Our eternity with Him is sure and secure.