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.
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: - `Old familiaries must now give place to new and more awful, yet sweeter approaches; but for these the time has not come yet.' This seems the spirit, at least, of these mysterious words, on which much difference of opinion has obtained, and not much that is satisfactory been said.
But go to my brethren. (Compare Matthew 28:10; Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 2:17.) That He had still our Humanity, and therefore "is not ashamed to call us brethren," is indeed grandly evidenced by these words. But it is worthy of most reverential notice, that we nowhere read of anyone who presumed to call Him Brother. "My brethren!" exclaims devout Dr. Hall, 'Blessed Jesus, who are these? Were they not Thy followers? yea, Thy forsakers? ... How dost Thou raise these titles with Thyself! At first they were Thy servants; then disciples; a little before Thy death, they were Thy friends; now, after Thy resurrection, they were Thy brethren. But O, mercy without measure! how wilt Thou, how canst Thou, call them brethren whom, in Thy last parting, Thou foundest fugitives? Did they not run from Thee? Did not one of them rather leave his inmost coat behind him than not be quit of Thee? And yet Thou sayest, "Go, tell My brethren!" It is not in the power of the sins of our infirmity to unbrother us.'
And say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God and your God - words of incomparable glory! Jesus had called God habitually His Father, and on one occasion, in His darkest moments, His God. But both are here united, expressing that fullorbed relationship which embraces in its vast sweep at once Himself and His redeemed. Yet, note well, He says not, Our Father and our God. All the deepest of the Church Fathers were wont to call attention to this, as expressly designed to distinguish between what God is to Him and what He is to us-His Father essentially; ours not so: our God essentially; His not so: His God only in connection with us; our Father only in connection with Him.