“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

After the Resurrection, Jesus says to Mary Magdalene, “Do not hold on to Me here, do not detain Me on Earth.”

At this point, the Finished Work of Christ was not yet completed.  He had not yet ascended to the Father in Heaven.  He would be with the Disciples 40 more days to Fellowship and Teach them all that He had accomplished through the Cross and the Resurrection according to the Scriptures.  Everything Jesus did throughout His entire Incarnation was done perfectly according to the Word of God.  This should be a message for us to do all things accordingly to the Word of God.  God’s purpose should be our purpose.  The very purpose of Calvary, the Resurrection, and the Exaltation was to establish the relationship with God and man through the Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ.

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Jesus had to ascend to Heaven and be exalted to the position of the highest honor at the Right Hand of God.  Only then could He deliver on His Promise to pour out the Comforter that is the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Though Jesus went away to be with the Father, His Spirit lives within our hearts and lives to lead us and guide us into all Spiritual Truth.

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As a result of the Finished Work of Christ, we now have something far greater than an empty tomb where sorrow and weeping took place.  The Presence of Jesus Christ is alive and well.  His very Spirit, His very heartbeat, and the very breath He breathes lives within us at this very moment.  The tomb maybe empty, but our hearts are filled with the Presence of Jesus Christ for our comfort, strength, and everlasting joy.

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“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

‍John 20:31

The Holy Spirit desires that Faith accepts the Testimony of the Scriptures that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Son of God.  Jesus still lingers in our gardens of sorrow and prayer.  Jesus Christ may not be outwardly seen, but inwardly He is real.  Jesus is alive transforming our garden of sorrow into a paradise of perfect blessedness.  Whosoever believes in Him shall live Eternally in ever-enduring bliss.