John 20:17 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.
John 20:17 nkjv
Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "
John 20:17 niv
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'?"
John 20:17 esv
Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
John 20:17 nlt
"Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
John 20 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 24:50-51 | Then He led them out... lifted up His hands and blessed them... was carried up into heaven. | Jesus' physical ascension described. |
| Acts 1:9 | when He had said these things... He was lifted up... a cloud received Him out of their sight. | Confirmation of the ascension. |
| Heb 4:14 | Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God... | Jesus as high priest ascended to heavens. |
| Heb 7:25 | He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. | Intercessory role post-ascension. |
| Eph 4:8-10 | "When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men." | Ascension and spiritual gifts. |
| 1 Pet 3:22 | who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to Him. | Christ's authority and location after ascension. |
| Jn 14:1-3 | "I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and take you to Myself..." | Jesus' departure to the Father's house. |
| Jn 14:16-17 | "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever." | Ascension linked to coming of the Holy Spirit. |
| Jn 16:7 | "Unless I go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." | Necessity of ascension for Spirit's advent. |
| Jn 20:19 | On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, when the doors were locked where the disciples were... Jesus came and stood among them. | Jesus' physical, yet transfigured, resurrection body. |
| Phil 3:20-21 | our citizenship is in heaven, from which we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body... | Believer's future transformed body. |
| Mt 28:10 | "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me." | Similar command to address disciples as "brothers." |
| Heb 2:11 | For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. | Jesus calling believers "brothers." |
| Ro 8:14-17 | For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God... crying, "Abba! Father!" | Believers as adopted children, crying to God as Father. |
| Gal 4:4-7 | ...so that we might receive adoption as sons... God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" | Adoption and new familial relationship with God. |
| Mt 6:9 | "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name..." | Jesus teaches disciples to pray to God as Father. |
| Eph 1:3-5 | blessed us in Christ... chosen us in Him... predestined us to adoption as sons. | God's eternal plan for adoption through Christ. |
| Col 3:1-3 | if then you have been raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. | Believers' new spiritual focus post-resurrection/ascension. |
| 2 Cor 5:16 | we regard no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. | New way of knowing Christ after resurrection/ascension. |
| 1 Jn 3:1-2 | See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God... | Emphasizes the love allowing us to be children of God. |
| Ps 22:22 | I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. | Prophetic Old Testament reference to "brethren" (quoted in Heb 2:12). |
| Isa 41:10 | Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. | Reinforces God's personal relationship, pre-Christ. |
| Zech 13:9 | ...and I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ | Covenant language of personal relationship with God. |
John 20 verses
John 20 17 Meaning
John 20:17 records Jesus' pivotal instruction to Mary Magdalene following His resurrection. It marks a transition in the nature of human interaction with Him from a physical connection to a spiritual one, while announcing His imminent ascension to the Father. Crucially, it declares a new relationship where God, Jesus' Father and God, also becomes the Father and God of believers through Him, thereby elevating His disciples to the status of "brothers."
John 20 17 Context
John 20:17 occurs immediately after Jesus' resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene, the first recorded personal encounter with the resurrected Christ. Mary, devastated by the loss of her Lord and misunderstanding His continued existence, recognized Him only when He called her name. In her overwhelming joy and relief, she naturally sought to cling to Him physically, perhaps to ensure He wouldn't disappear again or to revert to their former relationship. This verse acts as a divine redirection, correcting her perception and announcing a radical shift. It pivots from the immediate, emotional moment to the grand theological purpose of the resurrection and impending ascension: the establishment of a new covenant relationship with God through Jesus, not through mere physical proximity.
John 20 17 Word analysis
- Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me...":
- "Do not cling to me": (Greek: Me mou haptou, μὴ μοῦ ἅπτου). This is a present imperative in Greek, often translated as "stop clinging to me" or "do not continue clinging to me." It signifies not a prohibition of touch altogether, but a cessation of the kind of physical retention or grasping for the past relationship. It's a reorientation away from a purely physical connection towards a new, spiritual reality of His presence. This also sets the stage for the New Covenant relationship that isn't dependent on physical sight.
- "...for I have not yet ascended to the Father...":
- "have not yet ascended": (Greek: ou gar anabebeka, οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα). The perfect tense "have ascended" combined with "not yet" emphasizes that this journey to God's presence, Jesus' ultimate glorification, had not concluded. The ascension (Greek: anabaino, "to go up") is crucial because it ushers in the Holy Spirit and establishes Jesus' heavenly high-priestly ministry. The spiritual nature of their future relationship hinges on His heavenly enthronement.
- "to the Father": (Greek: pros ton Patera, πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα). Highlights the unique relationship between Jesus and God, a cornerstone of Johannine theology. Jesus' entire mission is about revealing the Father and bringing humanity into a relationship with Him. His return to the Father signals the completion of His earthly work and the initiation of His heavenly ministry.
- "...but go to my brothers...":
- "go": (Greek: poreuou, πορεύου). A direct command, signifying commission. Mary Magdalene becomes the first evangelist of the resurrection.
- "my brothers": (Greek: tous adelphous mou, τοὺς ἀδελφούς μου). This term is profound. Before His death, Jesus typically referred to His disciples as "disciples" or "friends." After the resurrection, and specifically here, He calls them "brothers." This signifies a new status conferred upon believers: through Christ's sacrifice and victory, they are brought into a new family relationship with God Himself, becoming adopted children, thus becoming "brothers" to Christ, the true Son. This also prepares them for His mission, signifying shared identity.
- "...and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.’":
- "I am ascending": (Greek: Anabainō, Ἀναβαίνω). This is a present tense verb used for a future event, indicating imminence, certainty, and divine purpose. Jesus' ascension is not an escape but a strategic, divinely ordained move central to the salvation plan.
- "my Father and your Father": This is the climax of the declaration. While Jesus always uniquely related to God as His Father, He now explicitly extends this familial relationship to His disciples. This implies a shared, adopted sonship and direct access to God. It highlights that the believer's relationship with God is intrinsically linked and mediated through Jesus' own Sonship.
- "my God and your God": This emphasizes God's sovereign universal identity while simultaneously affirming the deeply personal covenantal relationship God desires with His people. Jesus acknowledges God as His God in His humanity (fully God, fully man), demonstrating His reliance and submission. By extending this to "your God," He confirms the personal devotion and covenant belonging that believers now share in God through Him.
John 20 17 Bonus section
This verse highlights Mary Magdalene's significant role as the first to receive and proclaim the news of the resurrected Christ's message and commission to the other disciples, making her the "apostle to the apostles." The immediate command for her to "go" signifies the Church's foundational mission: to announce the resurrected Christ and the new reality of God as "Our Father" to a lost world. The teaching that God is now "our Father" profoundly transforms the nature of prayer and worship, establishing a relationship of intimacy and security previously inaccessible. The ascension is not just an event; it's a necessary theological act for Jesus' mediatorial reign, intercession, and the subsequent sending of the Spirit. Without it, the "brothers" could not have the relationship declared here, nor would the church receive power for witness.
John 20 17 Commentary
John 20:17 serves as a foundational verse articulating the radical shift initiated by the resurrection and preceding the ascension. Jesus corrects Mary's human inclination to cling to His physical presence, clarifying that His purpose now leads Him heavenward to the Father. This imperative "do not cling" indicates that the nature of the relationship between Christ and humanity is transforming; it will no longer be dependent on physical touch or earthly proximity but on a spiritual, heavenly bond enabled by His glorification.
The profound revelation that "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God" is pivotal. This declaration bridges Jesus' unique Sonship with the adoption of believers, drawing them into an unprecedented familial relationship with God Himself. No longer just 'Lord' or 'Master,' Jesus explicitly identifies His disciples as 'brothers,' underscoring their new identity as God's children through His completed work. The ascension is thus revealed not as an end but as the necessary transition enabling this new, direct, and intimate spiritual communion between God and believers, setting the stage for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Church. It's a call to look beyond the immediate physical and embrace the grander, eternal reality of Christ's triumph and its implications for believers.