The First Appearance: Matthew 28:8-10
“8) And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9) And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10) Then Jesus *said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”” Matthew 28:8-10
With the record of the four gospels and the book of Acts, there are numerous stories of post resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ. This was the first and relates to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. As the two Mary’s departed quickly from the angel to report to His disciples, Jesus met them… but there was something unique about this appearance.
Verse 9 says: “And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.” John 20:17 adds a significant detail. “17) Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”
Some believe, myself included that according to Ephesians 4:8-10, Jesus emptied Abraham’s bosom, and ascended with the Old Testament saints to heaven. (See Luke 16:22) He was glorified and came back for around forty days in His glorified body for the remainder of His post resurrection appearances. Then according to Acts 1:9-11 He made His glorious ascension.
If this theory is true, the two Mary’s may have met Him on His way to be glorified. This may explain His reluctance to allow them to cling to Him. He was on a mission and did not want to be delayed. Latter in John 20:27-29 He had no problem inviting Thomas to touch the scars from His crucifixion. It was also during these appearances we see Him in His glorified body. For example, He entered a room with all doors closed. (John 20:19) Some of the laws of physics no longer applied to His glorified body. 1 John 3:1-3 hints that we will one day have a glorified body as well. (See also 1 Corinthians 15:42-53)
No matter your view, these two women were the first to worship Jesus after His resurrection. There was no doubt in their minds that it was Jesus. They were the last to see His body placed in the tomb and they were the first to witness His resurrection. They were the first of many to witness His post resurrection appearances. The resurrection distinguishes Jesus from every other founder of a world religion. He is in a category all of His own.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
