Gospel in Art: Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father'

Noli Me Tangere,by Abraham Janssens & Jan Wildens ©Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dunkerque / Wikimedia

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 19 April 2022
John 20:11-18

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' 'They have taken my Lord away' she replied 'and I don't know where they have put him.' As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?'

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.' Jesus said, 'Mary!' She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbuni!' - which means Master. Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'

So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

Reflection on the painting

Jesus tells Mary Magdalene in today's reading: 'Don't cling on to me', or in Latin 'Noli me tangere', the title of our painting by Abraham Janssens and Jan Wildens. So 'Noli me tangere' means much more than 'don't touch me'. I means don't hang on to me or don't cling to me as in our Gospel translation. 'Cling' is actually a good word to use, as it implies that we would cling to something in its physical form. So Jesus tells Mary not to hang on to him in his physical form… as soon he will ascend into heaven.

This is the single most important event in Mary Magdalene's life. She is depicted in our painting in a graceful pose, gently reaching out to Jesus, but yet in a reserved manner. Kneeling, she is in awe after having recognised the gardener as Jesus. He is depicted in a blood red open cloak revealing his side wound. He is holding a spade (as is usual in paintings depicting this topic), the only sign of his humanity. The tip of the spade is touching the earth.

Christ works the garden in which our spiritual lives grow and blossom. Look at all the fruit behind him! We too can generate such abundant fruits if we let Jesus be the gardener to our souls.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art

Today's picture: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-20-11-18-2022/