John 20:17

John 20:17 is a verse in the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It contains Jesus' response to Mary Magdalene right after he confronts her just outside his tomb after his resurrection. According to the longer ending of Mark's Gospel (Mark 16:9) Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom Jesus shows himself alive after his resurrection.

Greek text:

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

The English Standard Version translates the passage as:

An important issue is why Jesus prevents Mary from touching or holding him. In Latin this phrase is translated as noli me tangere. It is unclear why Jesus imposes this rule, especially since in John 20:27 he allows Thomas to probe his open wounds. It also seems somewhat contradictory to the other Gospels, Matthew 28:9 states that the women who found Jesus "came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him." (KJV) No mention is made of Jesus disapproving of this.

The passage does not make clear how Mary is touching him. H.C.G. Moule speculates that she likely grabbed his arm or hand to try and verify his physical existence. Biblical scholar Raymond Brown has listed a wide array of explanations for his injunction:

There are also a number of scholars who have proposed alternate translations. These are not based on direct linguistic evidence but are rather attempts to synchronize the phrase with other parts of the Bible. There is also some evidence that the wording may have been mangled.

What not touching has to do with the ascension is also unclear. Barrett states that the phrase seems to have the paradoxical meaning that Jesus can be freely touched once he has ascended.

Jesus mentions that his ultimate fate is to return to his father. This is read as him making it clear that his resurrection has not made him king of the earth but king of heaven, and his return in physical form is only temporary.

Jesus then sends Mary to tell his brethren or brothers of the news. Previously in the Bible the word brethren had been used to describe Jesus' family. Mary delivers the message to his disciples, however, and scholars agree that they were whom Jesus was referring to. According to Alford this is said to show that since his resurrection a new closeness exists between Jesus and his followers and to confirm that even after the resurrection Jesus is fully human and a brother to other men.

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