God’s desire is that all people would be reconciled to Him (1 Timothy 3:4, 2 Peter 3:9) and that has been the consistent theme in all of Scripture.  We can see this in both the Old Testament and the New Testament as well.

Old Testament
After the separation of the nations at the Tower of Babel, God chooses one man through whom a nation would be built.  Abraham becomes the Patriarch of a mighty nation, and even though that nation was God’s treasured possession, He never intended salvation and reconciliation to belong to them exclusively.  We can see this in the story of Jonah, where a prophet of God is told to warn a Gentile people of God’s coming judgment.  God’s glory is magnified in Daniel as well when the various kings respond to the wonders of Daniel and his companions acting from the Spirit of God.

Exodus 19:5-6 tells us that if Israel were to be faithful, they would be “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”  Priests served as the mediator between men and God, and as a nation of priests, they would serve as the mediator between God and the rest of the world.  Israel was to serve as a shining beacon that would draw the world to God.  This was achieved for a time during Solomon’s reign, but his sins would condemn the nation to be split and that brief window closed. 

When Israel failed to do their part (Ezekiel 36:22-23), God moved to vindicate His holiness from the damage they had done to His name.[1]  That is where the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 49:6 comes in.  He will be “a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” 

New Testament
Each version of the Gospels gives a Commission before Jesus leaves.  The most famous is Matthew 28:19-20.  This Great Commission is directed to all nations, and the historical pattern that is set up is established in Acts 1:8 (Judea, then Samaria, and then to the ends of the Earth).  Indeed, the Gospel is still going out to the ends of the Earth, as there are still a few people groups who have not heard the Good News of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. 

Paul definitely saw it as his mission to preach the Gospel to the entire world so that all would act “for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name”.[2]  Indeed, his practice was to only travel where the Gospel had not been proclaimed before, according to Romans 15:20.  That would most definitely reach beyond the Jewish Diaspora and into the furthest reaches of the Gentile world.  That mission was not accomplished in his lifetime but could be achieved in ours. 

This global focus of the hope of reconciliation to the world can be seen as the consistent theme of the Bible and remains in effect today.

Footnotes:
[1] Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 3rd Ed..  (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999), 43.

[2] Romans 1:5, Ibid, 45.

- Pastor Jason

Introduction
       
One of the most controversial and widely-debated passages in the Old Testament is the command given by God for Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22:1-14.  Atheists use it as a hammer to rail against an unjust and uncaring God.  Muslims claim that it is Ishmael whom Abraham is commanded to sacrifice, not Isaac.  Liberal Christians
claim this account is an analogy and symbolic of something else, refusing to believe Abraham and Isaac are actual historical figures.  
 
The historicity of the account is challenged.  The morality of the account is challenged.  It is seen as one of the ugliest scenes in the Old Testament. However, when it is understood in the proper context, this passage can be seen and understood as a picture of the love and care God exhibits to all mankind, and foreshadows the coming Christ and the sacrifice He voluntarily made for us all.

The Narrative
1. The Command (Genesis 22:1-2)
The story of Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac begins in Genesis 22.  Isaac, the promised son whose promised coming was fulfilled twenty-five years later, is finally born in chapter 21.  After Hagar and Ishmael leave Abraham
and Abraham makes his covenant with Abimelech, several years have passed.  Fruchtenbaum writes that Isaac at this
point is thirty to thirty-one years old.[1]  This is based in part on the next story being Sarah’s death at the age of 127.  Since Sarah was 90 when Isaac was conceived and born, Isaac would be 37 at her death.

God appears to Abraham for the eighth time and orders him to do several things.  The first is to take Abraham’s son.  This son is identified in four ways: 
1) Take now your son.  This order could have applied to both Isaac and Ishmael, though Ishmael did not reside with Abraham at this point.  
2) your only son. 
Fruchtenbaum writes that this phrase does not emphasize origin, since Abraham had two sons, but rather uniqueness.[2]  Isaac is the promised son through whom Abraham would become the father of a nation, and was wholy unique in that way.  In God’s eyes, Isaac was the only son because the other son had been born out of sin.  
3) whom you love.  While Abraham’s relationship with Ishmael can only be speculated on, his love of Isaac is clear.  
4) Even Isaac.  Lest there be any confusion at this point, God clearly identifies Isaac as the recipient of this command.

After clearly identifying which son is to be involved, God gives instruction on what Abraham is to do.  Abraham is told to
travel to the land of Moriah, which will eventually be the location of the First Jewish Temple.  Once he gets there, he is to travel to a specific mountain which God would command him to travel to.  It is later revealed to be Mt. Moriah, which is renamed Mt. Zion and will be the exact location of the Temple.  

Once there, Abraham was to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to God on Mt. Moriah.  It is of note that at this point in God’s progressive revelation, God has not actually forbid human sacrifice.  Abel, Noah and others have been instructed to make animal sacrifices to God and the sanctity of human life has been commanded in the Noahic Covenant and other places, but a strict outright forbidding of human sacrifice is not formally made until Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 18:10. 
Indeed, in the local Canaanite religion, child sacrifice to El was expected and Abraham would not be unfamiliar with it even if he had not exercised it himself.[3]

Of note here is God’s purpose for ordering this. In Genesis 22:1,nacah tells us that God is tempting or testing Abraham
here.[4]  God is not tempting Abraham to sin as Satan would do, but rather testing his obedience after receiving the gift of Isaac as had been promised.  Abraham has had problems with disobedience outright or delayed obedience.  This final test will prove to be the crowning achievement of Abraham’s physical life. Wilmington writes that God is testing Abraham to help him grow spiritually.[5]  Leale writes that “God did not intend to sanction human sacrifices, but only to give
an evident demonstration of Abraham’s complete surrender to the Divine will.”[6]  God knows the end result of this testing and never truly intended for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  The test is a means to grow Abraham and Isaac’s faith and the faith of the reader by giving us an example of complete faith and surrender.

2. The Journey (Genesis 22:3-8)
After receiving God’s command, Abraham does not hesitate.  He awakens early the next morning, packs his things, and takes Isaac and two young servants with him to begin the three-day trip to Mt. Moriah.  Before he leaves, Abraham also chops and packs the wood necessary for the burnt offerings.  His preparations are complete, and his journey begins.

Matthews makes the connection between this test and the first test that God places on Abraham in Haran.[7]  In both,
God asks him to leave his family and travel to an unknown land.  In the first instance, Abraham focuses on the future and the birth of an heir and obeys.  In this instance, the Giver is apparently removing his future through Isaac, yet Abraham still trusts and obeys.

The journey to Mt. Moriah completes the four days necessary for Abraham to obey.[8]  Willmington notes that these four days foreshadows the coming Law.[9]  The Passover Lamb was to be kept four days before its execution.  In this case, Isaac is a type of Passover Lamb, though he is not ultimately sacrificed.

When they arrive, Abraham instructs his servants to remain while he and Isaac “go yonder and worship.”[10]  Abraham’s
explanation for this entire trip has been that he and Isaac are to worship God at a specific location.  Isaac and
the servants are unaware of God’s command.  In truth, Abraham had been worshipping God ever since he awoke on the second day and immediately started obeying.  God desires our obedience more than ritual or sacrifice.[11]  Of great
significance is Abraham’s instruction to the servants that “I and the lad…come again to you.”[12]  This statement will be analyzed in a later section.

Abraham and Isaac pack the necessary things for the burnt offering and begin their journey up the mountain.  Isaac carries the wood, just as Jesus would carry His cross many centuries later.  Isaac notices that they are missing the sacrifice, and asks his father why they have not brought an animal.  Abraham replies that God will provide a lamb for them.  This shows again that Isaac still has no inclination that Abraham intends to sacrifice him.

That one sentence by Abraham provides a complete summary of the Bible. God will provide for Himself a lamb and will provide Himself to be that lamb.  It is the story of reconciliation that is the focus of the whole Bible. Only through the Lamb provided by God can man be made whole.

3. The Sacrifice (Genesis 22:9-10)
After arriving at the specific location God had commanded, Abraham begins preparations for the sacrifice.  He builds the altar, lays the wood accordingly, and “bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”[13]  Genesis is
silent on how this was actually accomplished.  If Fruchtenbaum is correct and Isaac is thirty years old at this point, how did a 130-year-old man bind and place his son on the altar?  Was Isaac unconscious for this?  Or did Abraham finally tell him the reason for coming and Isaac acquiesces to his father’s and God’s command?  Fruchtenbaum believes so and writes of rabbinical teachings to that effect.[14]  In fact, in Jewish teachings this event is called the Binding of Isaac rather than the traditional Christian Sacrifice of Isaac.  If so, then Isaac’s test of faith is just as amazing as Abraham’s, if not
more so since he is the one who will die.  His complete trust in his father and God is an amazing demonstration of
faith in action.

With everything prepared, Abraham “stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”[15]  Abraham is
in the act of sacrificing his son.  While it is spelled out directly in Hebrews 11:17-19, there are certain
hints in the account that point to Abraham’s thinking.  The first is his instructions to his servants.  Abraham tells them that both Abraham and Isaac will be returning.  Hebrews 11:17-19 explains his thought process: “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was
  said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Abraham had resolved the conflict between the promise of God in Genesis 21:12 that Isaac would produce a nation and God’s command that Isaac be killed before he had done so.  Harris writes, “Abraham thought carefully about his experiences with God and concluded that since He could make a barren Sarah give birth to a child, He also was able
to resurrect Isaac after he had been sacrificed.”[16]  In our mind, resurrection is, while not commonplace, something that occurs many times in the Bible.  We would have a basis for our faith in reconciling that problem Abraham faced.  

Fruchtenbaum writes that this principle of resurrection for those who have not received the promises God made to them has been upheld in other places in Scripture.[17]  He cites Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees over the issue of resurrection.  In it, Jesus cites Exodus 3:6, which points to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being alive to receive the
promises God made to them.  Thus Abraham’s conclusion, though wrong in this situation, would eventually be proven
correct.

However, there had been no resurrections to this point.  Indeed, the first recorded resurrection would not come for another thousand years.  Abraham had no basis for this faith, but still trusted in God and fully expected it to happen based on God’s promise that Isaac would be the line by which the nation would be produced.    While he would ultimately
be wrong, this was still a tremendous act of faith on his part because nothing like this had ever happened before. 
Peter had Jesus standing in front of him when he walked on water.  Abraham had no such example to base his
faith on.  But he believed, and was acting on that faith by being fully prepared to sacrifice his only son on that
altar as he grabbed the knife.

4. The Deliverance (Genesis 22:11-14)
Before Abraham can consummate the sacrifice, the angel of the Lord stops him.  Abraham is informed that God is satisfied with the results of the test.  Abraham has shown that he yare', or reverently fears the
Lord.[18]  Lint writes,“When Abraham took his knife, surrender was complete.  God had all of Abraham’s heart.”[19] 
When that fact is proved to Abraham, he is stopped from committing the act.

It is appropriate to bring up a point here.  In Genesis 15:6 Abraham is declared righteous because he believed in the
Lord.  This righteousness was not dependent on his actions, but that righteousness would be evident in his acts,
or works, from that point.  This then is Abraham’s greatest act of that belief, as James attests to in James 2:21-24.  His work proceeded from his righteousness which he already had.  This test proved to Abraham that his belief was total and all consuming.

When Abraham is free from committing the heinous act, he notices, as his earlier promise to Isaac indicated, that God had provided a sacrifice.  Isaac is unbound, and a ram is sacrificed instead. Henry writes, “Now that the altar was built, and the wood laid in order, it was necessary that something should be offered.  For 1. God must be acknowledged with thankfulness for the deliverance of Isaac…2. Abraham’s words must be made good.”[20]  Abraham gives thanks and offers a substitute for his son whom he was willing to offer.[21]

The phrase “in the stead of his son”clearly indicates that Abraham understood that the ram was a substitution for Isaac. 
The many pictures of Jesus this narrative illustrates will be dealt with in a later section, but the ram as a substitute for Isaac is a clear picture of the coming substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus.

Finally, Abraham names that place Jehovah-jireh, which translates to “Jehovah sees”[22] or “Jehovah Will Provide.”[23]  Just as God had provided for a substitution for Isaac that died in his place, so would God provide for his people a substitutionary atonement through the sacrifices to come.  Mt. Zion would be the future place of atonement for those people, and indeed God had provided for His people.  Ultimately, though, God would provide the ultimate propitiation through Jesus.


Was God’s Test Righteous?
Let us turn our attention away from the narrative itself and unto related topics to help understand the passage more fully.  Opponents of the Bible use this passage as a supposed example of a God who is unjust.  It is evil, they
claim, for God to require Abraham to sacrifice his son.  They argue that He had no right to make that demand on Abraham, even if He knew that Abraham would not have to go through with it. To demand such an action is unjust in and of itself.
            
While they may not understand it, the Bible provides more than enough evidence to refute that claim and prove the righteousness of God and the righteousness of this test.  First, we must understand that Abraham had been tested in others ways throughout his account.  The first was God’s demand that Abraham leave his family and Ur and journey to Canaan. Abraham passed that test, though he did take his nephew with him.  The second test Abraham failed.  Abraham waited on the promised son for twenty-five years, but grew impatient and impregnated Hagar.  That failure produced another test when Abraham must force Hagar and Ishmael to leave by God’s command.  

God always tests the faith of His children.  Hebrews 12:11 tells us that these tests produce righteousness if we stay
faithful and turn to God in these times in our lives.  These tests are not for God, but for us that we might see that
righteousness in us.  Abraham had made many mistakes in his day, and so God deemed that he required a final test
to satisfy himself that he was indeed a follower of God.

Additionally, God is aware when inspiring the authors of Scripture that the men who experiencing these events are not just suffering for their own sake. Romans 15:4 says “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”  Another commonly cited account by
atheists is that of Job.  The sufferings of Job are unjust in their minds because they do not understand that the sufferings of Job and his faithful answer to those sufferings are not meant just for him, but to serve as an example for us as well.  

Abraham’s example is that there is nothing that should come between God and us. Abraham waited 25 years for his promised son, and nothing was dearer to him than Isaac.  This test proved that there was one thing dearer, that being God. That is an example to us that we should have no idols between us and God, even if it is family members.

Finally, God is not asking Abraham to do anything He Himself is not willing to do. God, to provide a substitute for us and our sins, sacrificed His own Son.  Jesus had existed before time began and throughout all of history had existed in perfect union with His Father.  Jesus first sacrificed His omnipotence and became a human.  He then lived a life fully devoted to God and His will, submitting Himself at every turn to the will of His Father.   

But when Jesus hung on that cross and took on all the sins of the world past, present and future, God for the first time turned His face away from His Son and forsook Him.  That perfect union was shattered for the first and only time, and was agonizing for both parties.  God gave His own Son, and Jesus willingly gave His own life to be that substitutionary propitiation for us.  God is not asking Abraham to do something that He does not do Himself.

Child sacrifice is one of the most evil things ever invented by Satan.  At no point, though, does God intend to allow Abraham to do so.  He knows what Abraham will do and knew when to intervene.  Asking Abraham to do something that God will do Himself, knowing that Abraham will not have to consummate that act, is not abhorrent. It shows the love of God in what He sacrificed for us.

Isaac’s Typology
Typology is a system of biblical interpretation where an element found in an Old Testament passage is seen to foreshadow or prefigure one found in the later passages. The initial element is called the type and the new element is called the antitype.  Isaac’s account offers many of these types and antitypes that were fulfilled in later scriptures.  While some of these have been addressed in the narrative sections, they need to be understood in this context as well.

The first is the location of the sacrifice. Mt. Moriah is the first type, in that it would later be called Mt. Zion and be the location of the Temple.  That location is not chosen by God coincidentally, but is to be seen as a picture of the coming atonement available there.
          
Next would be the chosen sacrifice.  Isaac was the promised son, and Abraham would have to wait for him many years before that promise was fulfilled.  The Messiah was also a promised seed, and the descendents of Abraham would wait centuries for Him to come.  Both Isaac and Jesus would be the natural sons of their mother, and not the adopted sons as was the case with Ishmael.  Finally, both Isaac and Jesus would be the result of miraculous births. Sarah was barren and was ninety when she finally became pregnant with Isaac.  While Mary was not barren, as Jesus’ half-brothers would prove, the virgin birth was even more miraculous.  Finally, both Isaac and Jesus appear to voluntarily offer themselves as
sacrifices.

Next, we must consider the actual sacrifices. In both cases, Jehovah-jireh, God provides the sacrifice.  Leviticus 1:3 sets the standard for a burnt offering and states that it must be a perfect male that is offered totally voluntarily.  God voluntarily offers the ram for Abraham’s use.  Of course, Abraham voluntarily sacrifices this ram as a substitute for
his own son.  Jesus, in the same way, voluntarily offered Himself as the final sacrifice for all humanity.  Indeed, He is called the Lamb of God many times for that very reason.

Conclusion
The central inescapable message of the Bible is that God loves us and wants to be reconciled to us.  In His effort to make that reconciliation possible, He provided a sacrifice for us in His own Son, Jesus.  That love explodes from the pages and the reader is told to trust in that sacrifice and place their faith in Him.  
 
The Sacrifice or Binding of Isaac is a picture of that coming sacrifice.  It is also a picture of faith given for us that we might emulate it.  Did Abraham love his son?  Absolutely.  Did he want to sacrifice Isaac?  We can safely say that he did not.  But by obeying and trusting in God and His promises, Abraham gives us a lesson in faith and patient that is not seen anywhere else in the Bible.  As Romans 15:4 states, this account was given for us that we might have hope.   
 
Jehovah-jireh.  God has indeed seen our suffering and provided a sacrifice for us.  When the ram was given to Abraham, he worshipped God. When we were given Jesus, men worshipped God truly and fully for the first time in this world.  This
story points to the love and glory of God, and the mature Christian has no choice but to see that picture of Jesus when reading it.

[1]Arnold Fruchtenbuam, The Book of Genesis.  (San  Antonio: Ariel Ministries Press, 2009),  352.
[2] Ibid.
[3]John Walton, The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis.  (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 510.
[4] Blue Letter Bible, “Lexicon Results for nacah”, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5254&t=KJV, accessed 5/2/12.
[5]H.L. Willmington, Willmington’s Guide to the Bible.  (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishing, 1984),
44.
[6] Thomas Leale, Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis.  (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974), 462.
[7]Kenneth A. Matthews, The New American Commentary: V. 1B.  (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers: 2005), 283.
[8] There is the first day for the command, then Abraham sleeping.  He immediately packs and journeys three days.
[9]Willmington, Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, 45.
[10]Genesis 22:5.
[11] Hosea 6:6 and 1 Samuel 15:22.
[12]Genesis 22:5.
[13]Genesis 22:9.
[14]Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Genesis, 354.
[15]Genesis 22:10.
[16] Ralph W. Harris, The New Testament Study Bible: Hebrews-Jude.  (Springfield, Missouri: World Library Press, Inc., 1989), 147.
[17]Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles.  (San Antonio: Ariel Ministries Press, 2005),
159.
[18] Blue Letter Bible, “Lexicon Results for yare'”, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H3373&t=KJV,accessed 5/2/12.
[19]Gregory A. Lint, The Old Testament Study Bible.  (Springfield, Missouri: World Library Press, Inc., 1994), 189.
[20]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, V. 1.  (McLean Virginia: MacDonald Publishing, 1978), 140.
[21] James G. Murphy, A Commentary on the Book of Genesis.  (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005),
341.
[22] Blue Letter Bible, “Lexicon Results for Jehovahjireh”, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H3070&t=KJV, accessed 5/2/12.
[23]Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Genesis, 356.

Recently I was making a visit to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis.  A Church family member had some family there to have surgery and I was going there to pray with them.  When I got to the surgery waiting room that family had not yet arrived so I went into the hallway to take a seat and wait.

I had been sitting there a few minutes when I noticed the sound of a very small little voice far down the hallway coming in my direction.  The entrance hallway at St. V’s is very long, some nearly 100 yards.  It is then another 100 or so feet to the entrance to the surgery waiting room area.  I looked down that long entrance way and saw a very small boy no taller then two feet and around three years of age.  He was walking on two crutches, the kind with four feet points on them.  The crutch on the right side had a little basket attached to it so that he could carry things while he walked.  That told me that he had been on these crutches for some time, probably his entire short life.

My eyes we immediately fixed on him and his slow walk down the hall.  Each step he took was only a few inches and the trip took several minutes. I was so drawn to that little boy: I could not take my eyes off of him and his family.  He seemed so pitiful, so innocent, so precious, and so fragile.  I became concerned about him walking. Shouldn’t someone carry him or push him in a wheel chair?  It just looked like such a struggle and he was so little and moving so very slowly in my direction. 

I noticed that they passed the point of turning down a different hallway; they were headed for the surgery waiting area.  Mom was carrying a small bag and dad was carrying a small backpack, I then realized it was the little boy who was going to have surgery.  I felt even more sorrow and concern.  That’s when I noticed something wonderful, something so precious, something so heart stirring: I heard him say, in that sweet little voice, “I want to walk with daddy. I like to walk with daddy, mommy.”  “I know” the mother said as she walked a little ahead of father and son.  I could hear him ask little questions like:  “This is a big place isn’t it daddy?”  “There are trees outside see ‘em daddy?”  “I like to walk don’t you daddy?”  The father always responding and never getting more that a few feet from his son.  As they got very close to me I heard the following conversation, I will never forget it.

“Here’s where we go honey.  This is where we go daddy? Yes, honey, right here.  Daddy can we play in here?  Can we play in this place daddy?   Oh I’m sure we can, they’ll let us play in here.  I like to play with you daddy.  Mommy we can play in here!  Me and daddy can play in here!”

My heart was broken.  As tears filled my eyes and I turned so no one could see; I understood two things:

• This little boy, crippled and on crutches, loved being with his father.  His father never left his side.  The hobbled walk of his son never affected the fathers love, care, concern or how he treated his little boy.  Daddy loved his son as much as his son loved him.

• My heavenly father is much the same.  My crippled walk I have because of my rotten, sinful life does not effect how close my Father is to me.  He does not walk off and leave me.  He does not call out for me to keep up.  He allows me to walk beside Him while He hears my every question and answers my every prayer.

For a few moments I sat there thinking and reflecting on my two boys, both basically grown now.  The times we had together good and bad, filled with fun or full of sorrow, I never left them, forsook them, or became angry because they could not keep up with me.  I love them, dearly deeply love them.  The relationship I have with my grown daughter is the same I am always there for her and I will always be there for them all because I am their father and that is what I do.

My heavenly Father hurts when I hurt, knows all about my personal pains as well as failures, but He is always there right by my side even though I may have to walk on Spiritual crutches because of the Spiritually crippled life I have.  He still looks on me and smiles, looks at me with love, and looks after me with care.  He will never fail me.  He will never leave me. 

No doubt if that little boy would have ask to be carried daddy would have lifted him up in his big daddy arms, held him tightly, hugged him close, and carried him the rest of the way.

My heavenly Father will stop and carry me at any time and He will carry me all the way if need be.

Is your life a crippled life because of your past or even some things in your present?  Do you feel like you are stumbling with every step you take?  You have a Father, a heavenly Father, who cares and is there for you; just look to Him He never fails.  Repair that relationship today, He is waiting on you to turn to Him.  Even if you are walking slowly on Spiritual crutches taking little steps inch by inch.  He is waiting, walking slowly right beside you.  He has not and will not leave your side “I will never leave you nor forsake you” are His very words.  He will not throw you onto the trash heap of life.  He will not turn away your cries.  He is there with kind and gentle words and loving Daddy arms to lift you up, hold you tight, and hug you close.  Don’t turn away from Him he has never turned away from you.

  .

I stepped into the waiting room just before I left the hospital.  The little boy and his daddy were piecing together a puzzle at one of the tables.  Both were smiling and talking to one another.  I smiled and walked out getting the last part of my lesson from God for this morning.  Every puzzle of life can be perfectly put together when we are sitting next to our heavenly Daddy. 

Heavenly Father I love you.  Thank you for being there just for me.

Dr. Jerry Hillenburg

Epilogue:

I wrote this story about my experience at St. Vincent’s Hospital, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in February of 2004.  Our oldest son, Lance Corporal Eric Dean Hillenburg, was killed in action in Fallujah, Iraq on December 23, 2004.  I helped carry him to a little spot at Westridge Park Cemetery where I saluted him as a hero as we tucked him in the ground and covered him with God’s green grass.  As his earthly father I went with Eric as far as I could go, I would have gone further if I could have, but he is in the Heavenly Father’s hands now, never, ever alone.

Put yourself in the Father’s hands today let Him carry you all the way.

Introduction: There has been a considerable amount of theological discussion and an equal amount of lay discussion concerning this extremely important passage of Scripture.

The center piece of this discussion is the statement from Jesus to Mary Magdalene, in verse number seventeen, that says: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go and tell my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”  From this discussion there has, in general, been two schools of thought:

1. That Jesus, after His resurrection, has not yet ascended to the Father in heaven to deliver His sacrificial blood to the Mercy Seat of heaven’s Tabernacle, for the eternal cleansing of all of those that believe on Him as Savior.  Therefore, He is instructing Mary not to touch His body so that she will not taint His purity prior to that heavenly presentation.

1. That Jesus, who was dearly loved by Mary and His disciples, and that upon seeing Him, physically alive, Mary rushes to Him and grabs hold of Him in an outward showing of emotional excitement, deep love, and ecstatic relief.  Jesus, speaks to her to assure Her that He is alive, and has not ascended, that he will be with them for a while yet, and for her to go and tell the other disciples that He is alive, He is here, and He will ascend later, just like He said that He would.

Throughout the last 1800 years plus these verses have been under scrutiny from liberals, legalists, and those who hate the Word of God: Numerous books, pamphlets, notes, study guides, lessons, and preaching messages have dealt with this subject.  College and University professors, ministry teachers, notable and unknown preachers alike have dealt with these verses.  However, both schools of thought remain alive and viable.  Some of the greatest theological minds have studied and written about this subject…all of them coming down on one of these two sides.  There has not been a consensus and I am not expecting one to be found any time soon.

The goal of this exegesis is to present the side of point number two.  To speak to the issue of the original language, original text, and the application of Lexical Syntactical Analysis to find what was being said by the writer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as he penned down this text and wrote these words and in doing so we will also, by virtue of the process of study, look at the side of point number one, and assess it validity as a proper Biblical interpretation.

(1)  First, there are a plethora of Big Name Theologians who have given their input on this verse and the subjects at hand.  Again, they break down into the two schools of thought that have already been discussed in our introduction.  In those two schools or camps there are Big Names on each side.  However, the majority fall down on the side of application number two.  The following gives their views directly from their own pages:

1.      Matthew Henry’s Commentary, volume #4, page 1214 item number [3.]: The further instruction that Christ gave her (v. 17): “Touch me not, but go and carry the news to my disciples.”  First, He diverts her from the expectation of familiar society and conversation with Him at this time: touch me not for I am not yet ascended.  Mary was so transported with the sight of her dear Master that she forgot herself, and that state of glory into which he was now entering, and was ready to express her joy by affectionate embraces of Him, which Christ forbids at this time.  1. Touch me not thus at all, for I am to ascend to heaven.  He bade the disciples touch Him, for the confirmation of their faith; He allowed the women to take hold of His feet, and worship Him (Matt. xxviii. 9); but Mary, supposing that He was risen, as Lazarus was, to live among them constantly, and converse with them freely as He had done, upon that presumption was about to take hold of His hand with her usual freedom.  This mistake Christ rectified; she must believe Him, and adore Him, as exalted, but must not expect to be familiar with Him as formerly.  See 2 Cor. V. 16.   He forbids her to dote upon His bodily presence, to set her heart on this, or expect its continuance, and leads her to the spiritual converse and communion which she should have with Him after He was ascended to His Father; for the greatest joy of His resurrection was that it was a step toward His ascension.  Mary thought, now that her Master was risen, He would presently set up a temporal kingdom, such as they had long promised themselves, “No,” says Christ “Touch me not with any such thought; think not to lay hold on me, so as to detain me here; for, though I am not yet ascended, go to my brethren, and tell them, I am to ascend.”  As before His death, so now after His resurrection, He still harps upon this, that He was going away, was no more in the world; and therefore they must look higher than His bodily presence, and look further than the present state of things.  2.  “Touch me not, do not stay to touch me now to make any further enquiries or give further expressions of joy, for I am not yet ascended, I shall not depart immediately, it may as well be done another time; the best service thou canst do now is to carry the tidings to the disciples; lose no time therefore, but go away with all speed.”  Note, Public service ought to be preferred before private satisfaction.  It is more blessed to give than to receive.  Jacob must let an angel go, when day breaks, and it is time for him to look after his family.  Mary must not stay to talk with her Master, but must carry His message; for it is a day of good tidings, which she must not engross the comfort of, but hand it to others. 

 

(2)

2.      Matthew Henry’s Commentary, volume #4 page 1215 part (b.): Christ’s ascension into heaven, in further prosecution of His undertaking for us, is likewise unspeakable comfort:  “tell them I must shortly ascend; that is the next step I am to take.”  Now this was intended to be, [a.] A word of caution to these disciples, not to expect the continuance of His bodily presence on the earth, nor the setting up of His temporal kingdom among men, which they dreamed of.  “No, tell them, I am risen, not to stay with them, but to go on their errand to heaven.”  Thus those who are raised to spiritual life, in conformity to Christ’s resurrection, must reckon that they rise to ascend; they are quickened with Christ that they may set with Him in heavenly places, Eph. ii. 5,6.  Let them not think that this earth is their home and rest; no, being born from heaven, they are bound for heaven; their eye and aim must be upon another world, and this must ever be upon their hearts, I ascend, therefore must I seek things above.

3.      Henry & Scott Commentary on the Bible volume #3 pages 422 and 423, give the very same reference nearly word for word.

4.      The Matthew Poole Commentary on the Holy Bible, by far one of the oldest and most endearing references, from a conservative Biblical perspective, published in 1685 by The Banner of Truth Trust 78b Chiltern Street, London, England.  In Volume #3 page 380, again reads nearly word for word as the other two named commentaries.

5.      In The Gospel According to John volume #3, by Oliver B. Greene pages 339 and 340, Dr. Green gives the following commentarial insight:  Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not record the admonition of Jesus, “Touch me not.”  But John presents Jesus as very God in the flesh, and since He was to leave this earth and return to the Father as our Great High Priest, Mary was not to become attached to His body, the visible Man walking on earth.  Believers are to know Him as the head and foundation of the New Testament Church, head of the new relationship between God and man, “for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” (Eph. 5: 30). 

“Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend to my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.  Mary was honored to be the first to witness His resurrection, carrying the news to others.  Others had seen the empty tomb – but Mary had seen Jesus!   A woman had anointed Him for his burial (John 12: 1-7), and a woman was the first person to whom He revealed Himself in His resurrection glory.  God highly honored holy, dedicated women in bringing salvation down to man, and He honors and uses dedicated women today in the ministry of soul-winning service in this Dispensation of Grace.

(3)  Second, there are also very notable theological writers and authors, from the same time frame of history, that record the verses in the commentary, but do not discuss the subject at hand.  They pass right by this subject without any discussion.  It is my belief and the position of many other theological pundits that they do not discuss this subject because they feel it is of little import to the readers and that it does not produce any new doctrine or reveal any overtly new insight into things of great eternal significance.  If it were so, to these believers that Christ was discussing His ascension to heaven to deliver His blood to the Father and then place it on the Mercy Seat of heaven’s tabernacle; these authors would have dealt with this text with some intensity…as well they should have had it of been the Scriptural fact of this passage, which it is our position, as well as theirs, that it was not.  The following is a list of some of those authors and the location of their commentary and text:

1. Barnes Notes: Notes on the New Testament, volume: The Gospels, by Albert Barnes, pages 376 and 377. 

1. What the Bible is all About, by Henrietta Mears, pages 411 and 412.

1. With the Word, the chapter by chapter Bible Handbook, by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbee, page 703.

1. Halley’s Bible Handbook, by Dr. Henry H. Halley, pages 552, 553, and 554.

Third, there are some significant theological writers and authors, though far fewer, who do agree with position number one, and have discussed that in their writings and commentaries.  One prominent theologian, who has taken this position, is Dr. J. Vernon McGee.  In his Thru the Bible Commentary volume #4, page 497, he writes the following:

• The Lord told Mary not to touch Him.  The word touch is haptomai, meaning “To hold on.”  Later, He told the disciples to touch Him.  Why the difference?  He says to her “For I am not yet ascended to my Father.”  This is the reason she should not hold on to Him.  So apparently He did ascend to His Father before His appearance to the disciples in the house.  I believe that the Lord Jesus presented His blood at the throne of God and that His blood turned the judgment seat into the mercy seat which it is today.  That blood was shed for your sin and for my sin.  I think the blood will be there throughout all eternity as an eternal testimony of the price He paid for us.

(4)  Fourth, there is one more writer, author, theologian, and Greek Scholar who has written and opinion on this text; that is Dr. Spiros Zodhiates in his Word study series: The Complete Word Study New Testament, pages 384 and 385, where he writes the following:

• The verb haptou, the present imperative of haptoumai (680), should be translated “do not continue touching me.”  The significance of Christ mentioning this statement is related to the fact that He had not ascended to His Father.  Some suggest that Mary was attempting to show Christ that she desired for Him to remain in the world and not go to His Father.  Christ’s command to her to stop touching Him was His explanation to her that His life now would not be the same as it was before His death.  In this view, it has been stated that Christ would be ascending to His Father, which would complete His resurrected state.  Others go a step further to say that this woman reflected the feelings of all of Christ’s followers who desire to have Christ set up an earthly kingdom.  This statement by the Lord was a reminder of His earlier statements about His ascension to His Father (cf. John 14).

Fifth, the overwhelming consensus of scholarly input is that position number two: That Jesus was telling Mary, not to cling to Him, because He had not left the earth for His position at God right hand in heaven, but that he would be doing so soon: That she was to take that message to the disciples and let them know that Jesus was alive, risen, and still on the earth for a short time longer and then He would ascend, just like He promised that He would.

There remains for us a Biblical search for contextual and correspondingly applicable passages and verses so that we can therefore arrive at our theological conclusion by the process of good Hermeneutical principles.  Those principles are always arrived at by the following process, some of which has already been accomplished, on this subject, for us:

1.      Study of the Canon – Canonicity.

2.      Textual Criticism.

3.      Historical Criticism.

4.      Hermeneutics (Exegesis) discovering then: Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology.

The first three have already been accomplished for us by numerous authorities and theological writings and inputs.  It remains now for us to exegete this passage with the original word(s) and a comparison of concurring text from the Holy Bible itself.

(5)  Sixth, a Biblical assessment of the text: John 20: 17 and the statement by Jesus to Mary “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.”  Is this statement, concerning the ascension of Jesus to present His sacrificial blood, to the Father, on our behalf?  Is He, Jesus, imploring her, Mary, not to touch His body – It was glorified – and He did not want her to taint it?  What verses can assist us in determining the truth of this Scripture?

1.      Does Jesus present His blood to heaven’s Mercy Seat?  Heb. 9: 1-4.

2.      What did Jesus do during His hours in the grave?

·        Lk. 23: 53 – He was buried.

·        Lk. 23: 42-43 – He went to Paradise.

·        Lk. 16: 22-23 & 26 – Paradise is described.

·        I Pet. 3: 18-19 – He preached (II Pet. 2: 4)

·        Ps. 24: 7-10 – He emptied Paradise as described in Isa. 5: 14.

·        Eph. 4: 8-10 – He delivered the captives into heaven’s glory (Ps. 68: 18)

·        Heb. 9: 23-28 – He did deliver His blood to the Mercy Seat of heaven, before His bodily resurrection took place.

·        Jn. 20: 19 & Phil. 3: 21 – He rose from the grave in a glorified body – and nothing can taint a glorified body.

·        Acts 1: 110-11 – He did ascend forty days after the resurrection, just as He said that He would, to be seated at the right hand of Almighty God.

a.       Heb. 1: 3 – In Majesty.

b.      I Tim. 2: 5 – As Mediator.

c.       Heb. 7: 25 – As Intercessor.

d.      I Jn. 2: 1 – As Advocate.

In conclusion: The Greek word for “touch” aptoumai (haptoumai) used in this verse is best described as “to cling to or hanging onto.”  Jesus is simply reassuring Mary that He is really alive, really risen from the grave bodily, and that she does not need to hold onto Him.  His ministry on this earth has permanently changed, as well as her relationship to Him eternally.  He has not yet ascended to heaven to be seated in glory, but go and tell the disciples: That He is alive, but He will soon ascend to the Father, just exactly as He promised them that He would.

A studious study of this text, or any text, under the leadership of the Holy Ghost of God, will lead you to the clear and proper understanding that God has designed for us to receive.

Dr. J. D. Hillenburg