APPROVED CENTRAL CONCLUSIONS SOURCE Approved Research evidence relied upon: John 20:17 — controlling primary passage. Immediate context: John 20:11-18 . Resurrection contact parallels: Matthew 28:9-10; John 20:27 . Research Intelligence excerpt truncated; f…

Jesus really did tell Mary, “Touch me not,” and He directly connected that command with the fact that He had “not yet ascended” to His Father.

Why This Passage Is Difficult John 20:17 raises a question because Jesus does more than tell Mary not to touch Him. He immediately gives a reason for the command: He has “not yet ascended” to His Father.