When Jesus rose from the dead, He could have gone anywhere, appeared to anyone, and shown His power. I think it’s a big deal that He first appeared to the people He was closest too before He died. It shows that not only does God love each of us generally, but He really does love us specifically and individually! People aren?t just people to God. Mary, Peter, John, and the rest were specific friends of Jesus and He wanted to see them after he was raised from the dead.
It?s so easy to get in a rut of thinking about God?s love for ?you? and the world but forgetting that His love is also specific, individual, and personal. At the culmination of time we?ll even have a mysterious secret name tag that will have a name on it only known to ourselves and God. (Rev2:17)
v. 17 ?Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.
I thought this was really weird about Jesus saying ?Don?t hold on to me? or as the ESV says ?Don?t cling to me? but my Strong?s says the word is GR680, haptomai, to be attached to. That makes so much more sense.
DSV: ?Mary, don?t get too attached to me, I?m leaving again, but this time to my Father who is also your Father, my God who raised me from the dead, who is also your Father!?
That brings us to the other big deal in this passage.
If there was ever a time that Jesus could talk about how TOTALLY different He is from everyone else on Earth, if ever a moment to differentiate the love the Father has for Him from the Father?s love for all of the adopted children, now is the time for Jesus to show it off. But He doesn?t. He does the OPPOSITE. ?My Father did this, and He?s your Father too. My God that I?ve been talking about did this, and He?s your God too.?