Bob Ryan SDA
Christ’s argument at the moment of resurrection, John 20:17, is that he does need to go before the Father and make that official presentation - to get the official sanctioned approval from the Father that the law is fully satisfied. ... God the Father and God the Son have conducted the execution of the plan of salvation in a way that is public and formal as we see in Daniel 7 “the court sat the books were opened.... myriads and myriads were in attendance”.
The “Court of heaven” is something God uses to proclaim both his love and His justice. As we see even in the case of Job 1 and 2 God allows for objections to be raised and official verifiable evidence to be presented in those “Court of heaven” contexts. What’s the point of creating intelligent beings like the Angels if He is going to continually revert to a “trust me and don’t think this one through” solution? In fact what is the point of 6000 years of sin and suffering on earth if there is nothing here being “demonstrated” or “proved”? Why not simply “snip Lucifer out of existence” prior to his tempting one single loyal angel? Better yet - why not “redirect Lucifer’s cycle of thought” before he even knows he is thinking about questioning God and save God the death of His son? It shows an “extreme degree of integrity and accounting” with God that he takes NONE of those shortcuts.
Ed Sutton
The “presentation” of the Son to the Father was physical, as well. One could get sidetracked here, I guess, by relying on a translation or translations that render Jesus’ words to Mary as “Do not ‘touch’ me...”, I guess, but that is a less than ideal rendering here, IMO. I suggest that the NASB is much clearer, here, in this rendering of John 20:17: 17, Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Jn.20:17. A short time after the encounter with Mary, Jesus was “held by his feet” (Mt. 28:9), and he specifically said to the disciples to “Handle Me and see...” (Lk. 24:39), less than 24 hrs, by any reckoning, of the encounter with Mary, and later, ‘commanded’ Thomas to place his hands into Jesus’ side. (Jn.20:27)
The point was not “to avoid any ‘physical contact’“, at all, in His words to Mary, but rather to announce that His work was of a greater scope, than Mary was realizing. He was no longer going to be here, ‘physically’ in the presence of Mary, in the manner in which she had known, and He was telling her this, in so many words.
By no stretch, am I ever presenting what can even be remotely constrained as “another ‘gospel’“, in any manner, whatsoever, for I have no intention of having any such near me, just as you say, as well.
Gerhard Ebersöhn
Thank you, Ed Sutton. This is how I too, feel; especially where you say, ‘His work was of a greater scope and Jesus was telling her this’.
Bob Ryan SDA
You have exactly nailed the reason that Christ does not focus on “The work he was doing while dead” [insinuating GE] -- His argument at the moment of resurrection is that he does need to go before the Father and make that official presentation - to get the official sanctioned approval from the Father that the law is fully satisfied.
And as you note - this must have been done by the time He meets with Thomas but had not been done when Mary met him. The point is not that “Christ is not God or does not know something” the point is that God the Father and God the Son have conducted the execution of the plan of salvation in a way that is public and formal.
Christ’s argument at the moment of resurrection, John 20:17, is that he does need to go before the Father and make that official presentation - to get the official sanctioned approval from the Father that the law is fully satisfied. ... God the Father and God the Son have conducted the execution of the plan of salvation in a way that is public and formal as we see in Daniel 7 “the court sat the books were opened.... myriads and myriads were in attendance”.
The “Court of heaven” is something God uses to proclaim both his love and His justice. As we see even in the case of Job 1 and 2 God allows for objections to be raised and official verifiable evidence to be presented in those “Court of heaven” contexts. What’s the point of creating intelligent beings like the Angels if He is going to continually revert to a “trust me and don’t think this one through” solution? In fact what is the point of 6000 years of sin and suffering on earth if there is nothing here being “demonstrated” or “proved”? Why not simply “snip Lucifer out of existence” prior to his tempting one single loyal angel? Better yet - why not “redirect Lucifer’s cycle of thought” before he even knows he is thinking about questioning God and save God the death of His son? It shows an “extreme degree of integrity and accounting” with God that he takes NONE of those shortcuts.
Ed Sutton
The “presentation” of the Son to the Father was physical, as well. One could get sidetracked here, I guess, by relying on a translation or translations that render Jesus’ words to Mary as “Do not ‘touch’ me...”, I guess, but that is a less than ideal rendering here, IMO. I suggest that the NASB is much clearer, here, in this rendering of John 20:17: 17, Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Jn.20:17. A short time after the encounter with Mary, Jesus was “held by his feet” (Mt. 28:9), and he specifically said to the disciples to “Handle Me and see...” (Lk. 24:39), less than 24 hrs, by any reckoning, of the encounter with Mary, and later, ‘commanded’ Thomas to place his hands into Jesus’ side. (Jn.20:27)
The point was not “to avoid any ‘physical contact’“, at all, in His words to Mary, but rather to announce that His work was of a greater scope, than Mary was realizing. He was no longer going to be here, ‘physically’ in the presence of Mary, in the manner in which she had known, and He was telling her this, in so many words.
By no stretch, am I ever presenting what can even be remotely constrained as “another ‘gospel’“, in any manner, whatsoever, for I have no intention of having any such near me, just as you say, as well.
Gerhard Ebersöhn
Thank you, Ed Sutton. This is how I too, feel; especially where you say, ‘His work was of a greater scope and Jesus was telling her this’.
Bob Ryan SDA
You have exactly nailed the reason that Christ does not focus on “The work he was doing while dead” [insinuating GE] -- His argument at the moment of resurrection is that he does need to go before the Father and make that official presentation - to get the official sanctioned approval from the Father that the law is fully satisfied.
And as you note - this must have been done by the time He meets with Thomas but had not been done when Mary met him. The point is not that “Christ is not God or does not know something” the point is that God the Father and God the Son have conducted the execution of the plan of salvation in a way that is public and formal.