John 20:17 (King James Version)
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 (New International Version)
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.’”
| ascended | to | my | Father | : | but | go | to | my | |||||||||
| ἀναβέβηκα10 | πρὸς11 | μου14 | τὸν12 πατέρα13 | δὲ16 | πορεύου15 | πρὸς17 | μου20 | ||||||||||
| anabebēka | pros | mou | ton patera | de | poreuou | pros | mou | ||||||||||
| 305 | 4314 | 3450 | 3588 3962 | 1161 | 4198 | 4314 | 3450 |
John 20:17 commands “Touch me not,” but the Greek verb is a present-continuous-imperative, indicating Mary Magdalene was already holding onto Jesus and should “stop holding” or “do not keep on holding” him.[1] This mistranslation has fueled theological speculation about why the risen Jesus forbade physical contact, when the text actually describes Jesus gently releasing himself from her grasp.
Our observation aligns with scholarly analysis of the Greek grammar. The verb in question appears in the present tense within a prohibition structure, which grammatically signals that an ongoing action should cease rather than forbidding an action that hasn’t yet begun.[1] This means Jesus was instructing Mary to release her grasp rather than prohibiting initial contact—“Let go of me!” rather than “Don’t touch me.”[1]
The theological implications shift considerably under this reading. Traditional interpretations imagined Jesus needed to ascend to heaven for divine approval before allowing human contact, then return to the disciples.[1] However, the ascension statement more likely indicates that the resurrected Lord’s mode of relationship with his followers would fundamentally change—physical clinging to his earthly form would no longer characterize their interaction.[2] Mary’s instinct to hold onto the familiar embodied Jesus represents attachment to a pattern of relating that the resurrection itself had already transformed.
This interpretation also resolves an apparent contradiction within the Gospel accounts. Matthew describes women grasping Jesus’ feet in worship (Matt 28:9), and Luke records Jesus inviting disciples to touch him to confirm his physical reality. (Luke 24:39) These parallel accounts suggest the issue wasn’t whether touching was permissible, but rather Mary’s attempt to maintain the pre-resurrection relationship through physical contact.[2] Jesus’ command redirects her from nostalgic clinging toward her apostolic commission—she must release him not because he’s untouchable, but because her role has shifted from disciple-at-his-side to witness-to-the-resurrection.
[2] Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002), 25b:301.
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