Saturday, July 28, 2007
John 20:17 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.'"
MARY MAGDALENE: CLINGY
To say a person is "clingy" is not usually a compliment. Someone might say of a significant other that he or she is very affectionate, or very attentive. These phrases might describe the same actions. But if it is said that one is "clingy", it has just gone from something good to something bad. Then why is it that Jesus tells Mary not to cling to Him?
Certainly Mary had good reason to cling to Jesus. Her Lord, Savior, Teacher, and Friend, who had been lost to her, was now returned to her. The natural response would be to make sure it doesn't happen again. But Jesus knows that He must leave, and if she tries to cling to Him she will lose Him again. Jesus knows she must learn to walk by faith and not by sight.
There is a time when we will walk by sight and faith will be no more, but it is not yet. Presently, we sometimes get tired of walking by faith. We tend to think, "Can't you just show yourself to me once, Lord?" We look for "scientific proof", but such proof is only good until someone smarter than we are comes around and shows us the error of such proof. The Lord in His wisdom has not decided to show Himself to us. Rather He calls us to learn with Mary to walk by faith, a faith which He provides and nourishes, a faith which looks to His cross. In this case, "clingy" is a good thing, as it is faith clinging to Christ and not we clinging to anything in ourselves, or in this world, or of this world. May the Lord teach us all to cling in faith to Him.
