Easter is now over. The resurrection of Christ has been recognized and remembered. There are, however, still some details which need to be explained.
For instance: As Mary kept by Jesus’ tomb, weeping, Jesus called to her “Mary” and then said “…Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father…” (John 20:17, KJV). Later on He invited Thomas to “…‘reach your hand here, and put it into My side…”(John 20:27, NKJV).
Again, it’s the details which explain the situation. Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb and later to the disciples in the room where they were assembled, but there is no indication of any contact at that time between Christ and the disciples. It was only after 8 days that He appeared again and gave the invitation to Thomas that is recorded in the Bible.
To understand how this is important, one must know something about the Jewish festivals according to which Jesus was crucified. Jesus underwent crucification at Passover. This is the festival that commemorates the time when the angel of death, as recorded in the Old Testament, “passed over” the Hebrews during the last plague of Egypt. Jesus, who was called “our Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV), at this time of commemoration was crucified on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, the month of Nisan.
Following this, on the 15th of Nisan, was the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted for 7 days and was in turn followed by the Feast of First Fruits, 8 days after the Passover. God called these “…the Lord’s appointed festivals…” (Leviticus 23:4, NIV) and “…a lasting ordinance for the generations to come…”(Leviticus 23:31, NIV).
Jesus, who was the Passover Lamb, is also called the sinless Bread of Life, and, in addition, the First Born of the dead. In essence, He became the “FirstFruit” of all those who would succeed Him in being resurrected from the dead. In the Jewish tradition, which Jesus observed, the Feast of Unleavened Bread which followed the Passover, started the following day, lasted a week, and during which “…you must eat unleavened bread,” (Leviticus 23:6, NKJV). Since leaven, in the Old Testament refers really to sin, eating bread without leaven means eating bread without sin and, in essence, refers to the Messiah, the sinless Bread of Life.
Further, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was in turn followed by the Feast of FirstFruits. This feast was referred to in this way: “…‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf;…You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God…” (Leviticus 23:10-11,14, NKJV).
Jesus, the Passover Lamb, the Bread of Life without sin, and the First Born (Firstfruits) of the Saved had to be brought before God and accepted before He could be touched by any person. Hence the request to Mary to “touch Me not” and the need for 8 days to pass before He gave His instruction to Thomas. The details and meaning can often be lost when we no longer follow that which originated from God and follow instead the traditions implemented by man.
Perhaps what has been lost needs to be once more rediscovered. At least, it’s something to think about.
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