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Do NOT Touch Me - Handle or Touch Me!
***What Does John 20:17 TRULY mean?
Here is John 20:17 from the KJV. “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.”
What happened when Jesus ASCENDED into heaven and came back down from heaven the SAME day that God resurrected him from the dead.
Jesus told Mary Magdalene to NOT TOUCH him BECAUSE he had not YET ascended to his God and Father.
That on the SAME day in the evening, Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them to HANDLE him or to TOUCH him.
And Luke says that he appeared in ANOTHER FORM.
Put all of the sound Biblical evidence together and we can see that the Son of MAN, Jesus ENTERED INTO GLORY on the DAY that God raised him from the dead to become the FIRSTBORN of every creature made in the IMAGE of the invisible God, according to Colossians 1:15.
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The SAME Day Jesus Said Two OPPOSITE Things!
What does John 17:20 TRULY mean in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God?
Let us begin this Verse Study by reading John 17:20 in its CONTEXT first, and then we will COMPARE Scripture with Scripture to learn its true SOUND Biblical meaning that AGREES with every other verse of Scripture in the Bible.
Let us go ahead and read the whole chapter 17 in the Gospel of John, the beloved disciple of Jesus.
I will quote one verse at a time and have my comments in between each verse.
And comments within a verse I will place in parenthesis.
John 17:1-31.
“The first day of the week came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher…
Mary Magdalene is the first person to come to the tomb of Jesus.
The day is Sunday morning before sunrise and it is still dark.
When Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb she sees that the stone that sealed the tomb was removed or taken away from the tomb.
…John 20:2. Then she RUNS, and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.,,
After Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb, she RAN and came to Peter and John. I believe that the OTHER disciple is John, the one who wrote this Gospel of John.
The word “gospel” means GOOD NEWS, but before Jesus EXPOUND the Scriptures to them, the EMPTY tomb was not good news to THEM at that point in time.
…John 20:3. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, (Speaking of the Apostle John) and came to the sepulcher.
John 20:4. So they RAN both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher…
Here we see that the Apostle John is a faster runner than the Apostle Peter,
These little facts show us the CONCERN that the disciples of Jesus had when they first learned of the EMPTY tomb of Jesus.
They did not casually walk to the tomb fully understanding that God raised Jesus from the dead.
They did not yet understand the PROPHECIES to Have PEACE in their hearts saying not to worry, because this was PROPHESIED to happen,
But rather, they were deeply concerned about the empty tomb, which is why the RAN, and ran FAST.
…John 20:5. And he (Speaking of John the disciple) stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet he went not in.
John 20:6. Then comes Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and sees the linen clothes lie,
John 20:7. And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
John 20:8. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he SAW, and believed…
Now, by the context, I would say that John STARTED to believe by putting the pieces together.
For you see, the Greek word translated as “believed” has different degrees of trust or peace of mind that we can REST assured.
And the EVIDENCE of the burial cloth on his head being folded neatly and set or placed in another spot was proof enough for John that no one STOLE the dead body of Jesus.
…John 20:9. For (Or BECAUSE) as yet they knew NOT the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
John 20:10. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.,,
So then, it appears that Peter and John believed enough to return back to their own home to ponder on the EVIDENCE that they just witnessed.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
…John 20:11. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher,
John 20:12. And (Mary Magdalene) sees two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
John 20:13. And they said unto her, Woman, why do you weep? She said unto them, Because they have TAKEN away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him…
Here we see that Mary Magdalene was still worrying that someone stole the dead body of Jesus.
…Joh 20:14 And when she had thus said, (To the two angels, I do not know where they took the body of my Lord) she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew NOT that it was Jesus.
John 20:15. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? (Or are you looking for the DEAD body of your Lord,
Or are you looking for your RISEN Lord whom God prophesied would be raised from the dead?) She, supposing him to be the gardener, said unto him, Sir, if you have borne him hence, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. (Mary’s eyes have still not been opened to SEE or to UNDERSTAND and BELIEVE until Jesus speaks he NAME)
John 20:16. Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master…
This word “Rabboni” also means Lord, but a human lord.
But what I want you to notice and take a CLOSE look at is the next few verses of Scripture.
Notice that Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to NOT TOUCH him.
This is an important detail that some Christians simply skim right over and they MISS seeing one of the many KEYS that reveals the TRUE Jesus to us.
…John 20:17. Jesus said unto her, TOUCH me NOT; (WHY? Why did the risen Lord from the DEAD tell Mary Magdalene to NOT TOUCH him?
Especially, when you see and understand that on this SAME DAY in the EVENING, Jesus appears to his disciples and tells them to HANDLE him or to TOUCH him.
Notice the REASON for WHY Jesus told Mary Magdalene to NOT TOUCH him) FOR (Or BECAUSE) 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.
John 20:18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had SEEN the Lord, and that he had SPOKEN these things unto her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
John 20:19. Then the SAME DAY at EVENING, being the first day of the week, (Compare the context in John 20:1, which was early in the MORNING while it was still dark on the FIRST day of the week.
Jesus told Mary to NOT TOUCH him because he had not yet ASCENDED to his God and Father.
But go TELL my brethren that I ASCEND to my Father.
And then, that SAME DAY in the EVENING) when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you.
John 20:20. And when he had so said, he SHOWED unto them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad, when they saw the Lord. (Or the disciples were glad when they PERCEIVED and understood that it was Jesus raised from the dead)
John 20:21. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father has SENT me, even so SEND I you…
Notice that it was AFTER the cross and the resurrection that Jesus SENT or COMMISSION his disciples in the SAME way that his God and Father SENT or COMMISSION the Son of MAN. Jesus.
In other words, God ANOINTED His HUMAN Son Jesus with a PORTION of His Holy Spirit at his baptism to go out into the world to preach the Kingdom of God, to do good, and to heal all who were oppressed of the Devil, according to Acts 10:38.
Then AFTER the cross and resurrection, God ANOINTED His human Son, Jesus, with the FULLNESS of deity to me made a Lord, a King, and a God to rule FOR Yahweh in the NAME of Yahweh for 1000 years in the world to come, according to Acts 2:36, Hebrews 1:8,9, and many other passages of Scripture.
Please read Book 6 Chapter 10 Was Jesus BORN-AGAIN?)
…John 20:22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive you the Holy Ghost:...
This verse should be understood as being a prophecy of the Day of Pentecost.
For you see, in Luke 24:49, Jesus tells his disciples to WAIT in Jerusalem UNTIL they are ENDUED with POWER from on high before they go out to preach the gospel of salvation.
…John 20:23. Whose soever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins you retain, they are retained…
When we compare this account or the great COMMISSION with the other three gospels, then we can get a better understanding of these words of Jesus in John 20:23, who sin YOU remit and whose sins YOU retain.
Let us go ahead and read the other three accounts so that you can see that ONE of the meanings of John 20:23 is that whosoever BELIEVES shall be saved and whosoever does NOT believe shall remain dead in their sins.
But ALSO know and understand that when someone sins against us personally, then we can forgive their sin against us and THAT PARTICULAR sin will be forgiven them, because we do not RETAIN that sin against them.
And in 1 John 5, we are taught that we can PRAY and ask God to forgive another person's sins. But that is another study for later.
Also, keep in mind that all these accounts in all four gospels are AFTER the cross and resurrection, which is WHEN the human Son of God was GIVEN all POWER and AUTHORITY to be MADE a King, a Lord, and a God, according to Acts 2:36, Psalm 2:1-12, Romans 1:3,4, and many other passages of Scripture such as John 17:1-3.
Remember that the purpose of this study is to understand what HAPPENED between the TIME right after the resurrection of Jesus when Jesus said do NOT TOUCH me and the TIME on that same day in the evening when Jesus said HANDLE me or TOUCH me.
We KNOW for SURE that Jesus ASCENDED to his God and Father and then he came back down to the earth with a NEW GLORIFIED body of flesh and bone never to die again.
But what some Christians have failed to see is that God GAVE Jesus a NEW NAME, ALL POWER, all authority, and ALL JUDGMENT, PLUS a new IMMORTAL body while he was up in heaven.
Then he came back down to show himself ALIVE for forty days before Jesus ascended back up into heaven where he was before, forty days earlier on the day God raised him from the dead, according to the prophecy in John 6:62.
Matthew 28:18-20.
“And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, ALL POWER is GIVEN unto me in heaven and in earth.
Matthew 28:19. Go you THEREFORE, (In other words, BECAUSE God has highly exalted me and has given mean a NAME above all other names, go you into all of the world preaching the gospel of Jesus ANOINTED) and teach all nations, baptizing them in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Now, Bible scholars have shown that the Trinity baptism formula in Matthew 28:19 was added.
And the original text says baptize in my NAME, which is speaking of the NEW NAME that God GAVE to the Son of MAN, Jesus, after the cross and resurrection.
Please read the study called Matthew 28:19 Does NOT Prove the Doctrine of the Trinity!)
Matthew 28:20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Please know and understand that the NEW Covenant is NOT the SAME as the covenant that God gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
Hebrews 12: 18-29 and Galatians 4:21-31 clearly teach us that we have NOT come to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Sion of Mount Zion, the church of the FIRSTBORN.
Mark 16:14-20.
“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed NOT them which had seen him after he was risen.
Mark 16:15. And he said unto them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16. He that BELIEVES and is baptized shall be SAVED; but he that believes NOT shall be damned. (In other words whosoever you preach or teach the gospel to who BELIEVES, then their sins are REMITTED.
But whosoever you preach or teach the gospel to who does NOT believe, then their sins are RETAINED)
Mark 16:17. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my NAME (Speaking of the POWER and the AUTHORITY that is behind the NEW NAME that God gave to Jesus AFTER the cross and resurrection when we speak the name JESUS with faith and authority) shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; (And to me, all true born-again Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.
Thus, they have the ability to speak in other tongues, Please read the study I-5 MUST All Christians SPEAK in Other Tongues?
The short answer in no, but you are missing out on a lot of BENEFITS that come when you DO SPEAK in other tongues)
Mark 16:18. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (I want to point out that Jesus said that we can drink any deadly thing and it will not hurt us, then surely eating and drinking processed foods that have preservatives in them will NOT hurt us either.
I say this because some Christian have heard “health fanatics” warning against eating and drinking anything containing a man-made chemical.
Please understand that I am not against eating home grown organ vegetables.
But rather, I am simply teaching my readers that FEAR is a weapon of God’s enemy Satan, and if fear is not OVERCOME, then fear will bring sickness, disease, and even death)
Mark 16:19. So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was RECEIVED up into heaven, and SAT on the right hand of God. (This TRUTH that the Son of MAN, was RECEIVED up into heaven to be SEATED at the right hand of his God and Father can be found in MANY verses throughout the entire Bible.
But yet, Trinitarian church denominations do not teach this TRUTH because it does not FIT their doctrine that an ALWAYS existing God the Son came down from heaven and became flesh, but he remained FULLY the Almighty God the Son during the days of his flesh)
Mark 16:20. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”
Please know and understand that if a PORTION of God dwelling in Jesus empowered him to do the works THROUGH the Eternal Spirit dwelling in him means that it was Almighty God the Father doing the works, according to John 5:19-30 and John 14:10.
Then it is ALSO true that when it PLEASED the Father for ALL of His power and authority to DWELL in Jesus, it is STILL the POWER and authority of Almighty God the Father doing the works by way of His Lord that He Himself made to become His Lord after the cross and resurrection, according to Acts 2:36.
This is WHY all of the GLORY goes to the Father when we stand in our authority in the NAME of Jesus, according to Philipians 2:6-11.
Luke 24:39-51.
“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE me, and see; (Or TOUCH me and see that it is me and that I am NOT a spirit or ghost) for a spirit has NOT flesh and bones, as you see me have.
Luke 24:40. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Luke 24:41. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have you here any meat? (In other words, Jesus perceived that they need more proof that it was really him)
Luke 24:42. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb.
Luke 24:43. And he took it, and did eat before them.
Luke 24:44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be FULFILLED, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luke 24:45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures,
Luke 24:46. And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, (Or thus it is WRITTEN and THUS it is NECESSARY for the Messiah to suffer) and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luke 24:47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his NAME among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48. And you are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:49. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:50. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
Luke 24:51. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.”)
…John 20:24. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
John 20:25. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the Lord, the one prophesied in Psalm 110:1-7 and many other prophecies in the Scriptures)
John 20:26. And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
John 20:27. Then he said to Thomas, Reach hither your finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
John 20:28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
John 20:29. Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The Purpose of This Book
John 20:30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
John 20:31. But these are written, THAT (Or so THAT) you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his NAME.”
So then, when we compare all four gospels, we can see that Jesus ASCENDED into heaven right after telling Mary Magdalene to NOT TOUCH him.
And the REASON for her to not touch him was BECAUSE he had not YET ASCENDED to his God and Father.
Therefore, something happened while Jesus was up in heaven.
For you see, Jesus descended back down from heaven that SAME day and appeared to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus just before evening in another FORM.
This is the SAME Greek word used in Philippians 2:6, which says, who BEING in the FORM of God.
And then Jesus appeared to the rest of the disciples except for Thomas. But this time Jesus told them to HANDLE or TOUCH him.
We also learned in Matthew 28:18 that ALL POWER and authority was GIVEN to Jesus.
And in Luke we see the Son of MAN, Jesus, ENTERED INTO GLORY after the cross and resurrection.
So then, in the LIGHT of all of this SOUND Biblical evidence, we can clearly see that on the MORNING of his resurrection, Jesus ASCENDED up into heaven in his earthly body to his God and Father.
And then Jesus came back down from heaven that SAME day in ANOTHER FORM.
And according to Philippians 2:6, the DIFFERENT FROM was the FORM of God, which is the DIVINE NATURE of IMMORTALITY.
For you see, the Greek word translated as “BEING” literally means who BEGAN to COME INTO being in the FORM of God.
G5225
ὑπάρχω
huparchō
hoop-ar'-kho
From G5259 and G756; to begin under (quietly), that is, come into existence (be present or at hand); expletively, to exist (as copula or subordinate to an adjective, participle, adverb or preposition, or as auxiliary to principal verb): - after behave, live.
Total KJV occurrences: 47.
Please read the study called Philippians 2:6 PROVES that Jesus BECAME a God Under His God!
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1-In the BEGINNING, and D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
At the top of my homepage, there are subjects or categories which contain compiled lists of ** ALL Studies! ** I have written on that particular subject. So, if a link within a study is broken, then click on ** ALL Studies! ** to find the suggested study.
Or you can scroll down to the MORE dropdown menu list to find those studies as well.
Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading ** C-0 The TRUE FOUNDATION of the Church! **
This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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