Jesus Gave Mary (and all of us) Better

"16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus 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." (John 20: 16-17)

What was the first thing that Jesus, now alive and resurrected in a perfected body, said to Mary?

He did not shame her with: "Why didn't you believe me?"

He did announce who He was, because He knew her before she could say anything else.

He called her name.

He then said: "Don't touch me", not because He resisted her embrace, since He would send His Spirit to guarantee to us an eternal embrace of love (Acts 10: 44).

He said Don't touch me because "I have not yet ascended to my Father."

Why is this important?

When Jesus ascended, He sent for His Spirit:

"33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 33)

With the Spirit, we receive:

"16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14: 16-17)

Jesus wanted to give Mary and all of us something better than His physical presence, which we could embrace.

Today, He lives in us by His Spirit, and we have his standing:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

and

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1: 27)

and also

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5: 12)

We also are seated with Him at the right hand of the Father, too:

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

Mary wanted to hug Jesus, but when Jesus ascended, God the Father took us up with Him and placed us in Christ, too. Without at first realizing it, Mary (and all of us) have something, so much better today because of Jesus.