Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 20:14-18

"When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is to say, Teacher. Jesus saith to her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God. Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, I have seen the Lord; and [that] he had said these things unto her." — John 20:14-18 (ASV)

1. Now the Evangelist shows how Mary came to see Christ. First, he tells how she saw Christ; second, how she was recognized by him: Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me.”

   Concerning the first point, we see her seeing Christ, and then what Christ said to her: Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

2. First, then, when she had said this, that is, when Mary said this to the angels, she turned around.

   Chrysostom wonders why Mary, who was speaking to the angels—whom she considered to be at least men deserving of respect—turned around before they had answered her.Commentary on Saint John 86.1.

   The answer is that while Mary was responding to the angels’ question, Christ arrived, and the angels stood out of reverence. When Mary saw this, she was puzzled and turned around to see what had made them stand up. Thus, in Luke, mention is made that the two angels were seen standing (Luke 24:4). She turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. She was not seeing him in the splendor of his glory, whom the blessed angels honor in glory.

   We see from this that if anyone desires to see Christ, they must turn around to him: “Return to me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3). Those who entirely turn themselves to him in love come to the point of seeing him: she is readily seen by those who love her, and found by those who seek her (Wisdom 6:12-14, paraphrase).

   Mystically, this signifies that at one time Mary had turned her back on Christ through her disbelief, but when she turned her soul to knowing him, she turned around to him.

3. Why did Mary not recognize Christ, since he was the same person as before? We should say that it was either because she did not believe that the one she had seen dead had risen, or else her eyes were held so that she would not recognize him, like the two disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:16).

4. The words of Christ are now given: “Woman, why are you weeping?” First, we see Christ’s question, and then Mary’s answer.

5. Concerning the first point, note that Mary was advancing step by step. The angels asked her why she was weeping, but Christ also asked her whom she was looking for, because her weeping was caused by the desire that led her to search. Christ asked whom she was looking for in order to increase this desire, for when she spoke of the one she was seeking, her love burned more intensely, and so she would continue to seek him. Seek his presence continually! (Psalms 105:4); but the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day (Proverbs 4:18).

6. When the Evangelist says, she, thinking it was the gardener, said to him, we see Mary’s answer. First, we see whom she thought was questioning her, and then her response.

7. Mary thought the gardener was speaking to her because she knew that the guards had already fled, frightened by the earthquake and the sight of the angels, and that the only one who would be there would be the one taking care of the place: the gardener. As Gregory says, this woman, in erring, did not err when she thought that Christ was a gardener, for he planted the seeds of virtue in her heart by the strength of his love.Forty Gospel Homilies 25.4. It is written: I will water my orchard and drench my garden plot .

8. Mary said to Jesus, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me.” She calls him sir in order to gain his goodwill.

   But since this gardener had just arrived, and Mary had not told him whom she was looking for, why does she say, “if you have carried him away”? Who was “him”?

   We should say that the force of love causes the lover to think that no one could be ignorant of the one who is always in his thoughts. For we read in Luke that our Lord asked, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And one of the disciples answered, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:17–18).

9. When Mary says, “tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away,” she shows a wonderful courage. She would not be driven off by the sight of a dead person and would have tried to carry the body away, even though it was beyond her strength. But this is what is spoken of: love hopes all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).

   She wanted to take him so the Jews would not violate the dead body and so she could carry it to another secret grave.

10. Next, the Evangelist shows Mary recognizing Christ: Jesus said to her, “Mary.” The Evangelist uses the name Mary, while before he had used the general word woman. He calls her by her own name, Mary, to show that she was well known to the saints. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names (Psalms 147:4); I know you by name (Exodus 33:12). This also indicates that although all things are moved by God with a general motion, a special grace is needed for a person’s justification.

    The effect of her being called by Christ was that she turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

11. Was not Mary always looking at Christ when he was speaking to her? According to Augustine, this present turning refers to her interior state of mind. Before, although she was facing Christ, she thought he was someone else—the gardener. But now her heart was turned, and she recognized him for who he was.Tractates on the Gospel of John 121.2.

    Or, one could say that, as was said, she thought he was someone else. So while she was talking to him, she did not look at him but was concerned with the Christ she carried in her heart, looking about for some trace of him. Therefore, Christ, recalling her, called out her proper name, saying, “Mary,” as if to say: “Whom are you looking for? Recognize him by whom you are recognized.” And at once, when she was called by name, she recognized the speaker, saying, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher), for so she was accustomed to call him.

    We can understand from this that the cause of our justification and of our profession of faith is to have been called by Christ.

12. Next, at Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me,” the Evangelist shows Mary receiving instructions from Christ. One of them is negative, and the other is positive: “go to my brothers.”

13. He does two things concerning the first point: he states the prohibition and then gives the reason for it.

    Christ warns Mary not to touch him, saying, “Do not touch me.” Even though we do not read here that Mary wanted to touch Christ, Gregory says we can see from this that Mary fell at Christ’s feet and wanted to grasp the one she had recognized.Forty Gospel Homilies 25.5.

    He adds the reason: “for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” It seems from this that after his resurrection, Christ did not want to be touched before he ascended. But the opposite is found in Luke: “Handle me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39).

    It is no answer to say that Christ wanted to be touched by his disciples but not by the women, for we see in Matthew that Mary Magdalene and other women came to him and did grasp him by his feet (Matthew 28:9).

    Therefore, we should understand, according to the letter of the text, that Mary saw angels at two different times. The first time was with the other women, when she saw one angel sitting on the stone (Matthew 28:2; Mark 16:5). The second time was when she returned and saw two angels inside the tomb (John 20:12). Similarly, she also saw Christ two times. First, in the garden, when she thought he was the gardener, as we just saw. Second, she saw him when she was running with the other women to tell the disciples what they had seen, in order to strengthen their faith in the resurrection. It was this second time that they approached and held Christ’s feet (Matthew 28:9; Mark 16:9).

14. There are two mystical reasons why Christ did not want to be touched. First, because this particular woman signified the church of the Gentiles, which was not to touch Christ by faith until he had ascended to the Father: a congregation of peoples will surround you; for their sake return on high (Psalms 7:7).

    The other reason is given by Augustine in his work On the Trinity. It is that touch is the last stage of knowledge; when we see something, we know it to a certain extent, but when we touch it, our knowledge is complete.The Trinity 1.9.18. Now, this particular woman had some faith in Christ—that he was a holy man, which was why she called him Teacher. But she had not yet reached the point of believing that he was equal to the Father and one with God. Thus Christ says, “Do not touch me,” that is, do not allow what you now believe about me to be the limit of your faith, “for I have not yet ascended to my Father” in your heart, because you do not yet believe that I am one with him. Yet she did believe this later. In a way, Christ did ascend to the Father within her when she had advanced in the faith to the point of believing that he was equal to the Father.

15. Or, we could say with Chrysostom that after this woman saw that Christ had risen, she thought he was in the same state as before, having a life subject to death.Commentary on Saint John 86.2. She wanted to be with him as she was before his passion, and in her joy, she thought there was nothing extraordinary about him, although Christ’s flesh had become much greater by rising. To correct this impression, Christ said, “Do not touch me.” It was as if he were saying: “Do not think that I have a mortal life and can associate with you as before.” Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer (2 Corinthians 5:16). This is what he adds when he says, “for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” Accordingly, this statement does not give the reason for his prohibition but an answer to an implicit question. It was as if he were saying: “Although you see me remaining here, it is not because my flesh is not glorified, but because I have not yet ascended to my Father.” For before he ascended, he wanted to strengthen in the hearts of the apostles their faith in his resurrection and in his divinity.

16. After this, he gives his positive directions: “go to my brothers.” He means the apostles, because they are his brothers by having the same nature—he had to be made like his brothers in every respect (Hebrews 2:17)—and they are his brothers by being adopted through grace, because they are the adopted children of his Father, of whom he is the natural Son.

    Note the three privileges given to Mary Magdalene.

    1. She had the privilege of being a prophet because she was worthy enough to see the angels, for a prophet is an intermediary between angels and the people.
    2. She had the dignity or rank of an angel insofar as she looked upon Christ, on whom the angels desire to look.
    3. She had the office of an apostle; indeed, she was an apostle to the apostles insofar as it was her task to announce our Lord’s resurrection to the disciples. Thus, just as a woman was the first to announce the words of death, so a woman would be the first to announce the words of life.

17. “And say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father.’” As stated before: “I am going to him who sent me” (John 16:5); He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens (Ephesians 4:10).

    Arius based his error on these words, “my Father and your Father.” He took it to mean that God is the Father of the Son in the same way that he is our Father, and that he is the God of the Son in the same way that he is our God.

    The answer to this is that the meaning of these words must be gathered from the circumstances in which they were spoken. Christ said before, “go to my brothers.” But Christ had these brothers insofar as he had a human nature, and in his human nature, he is subject to the Father as a creature to the Creator, for the body of Christ is something created.

18. Or, according to Augustine, Christ is speaking of himself and referring to each of his natures.Tractates on the Gospel of John 121.3. “I am ascending to my Father and your Father” refers to his divine nature, and from this point of view, he has God as Father, to whom he is equal and like in nature. Thus, the meaning is “my Father by nature, and your Father by grace.” It is saying, in effect, that the fact that you are adopted children by grace is due to me: God sent forth his Son... so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4–5); For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).

    When he adds, “to my God and your God,” he is referring to his human nature. From this point of view, God rules him; thus he says, “my God,” under whom I am a man, “and your God,” and between him and you, I am the mediator. For God is our God because through Christ we are pleasing to him: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1–2); that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).

19. Mary was quick to obey, as we see from the verse, Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. She came from the place in the garden in front of the stone of the tomb, announcing this to the disciples. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Corinthians 11:23); What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I have announced to you (Isaiah 21:10).