Good morning everyone!!
John 20:17
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.'"
Anyone know what Jesus meant here?
stello
Hi Stello,
Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity, His former power and glory, took on flesh so that He could die.
Php 2:6 In God's own form existed He, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping.
Php 2:7 nevertheless empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity,
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as man (that is as FLESH and BLOOD), he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
He was raised back spirit (God is spirit):
1 Corinthians 15:43-45
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
So what I believe we are seeing from Jesus in that passage is Him speaking of His former power and glory which He possessed being that He is God and before He emptied Himself:
John 17:4-7 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
When He returns it will be in power and glory,
"For the Son of man shall come IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works" (Matt. 16:27).
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when HE COMES IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when HE SHALL COME IN HIS OWN GLORY, AND IN HIS FATHER'S [GLORY], and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26)..
This is what came to my mind on reading the verse.
Hope it is helpful.
God bless,
Alex