Intro

I. Holding the Earthly Christ John 20.18

II. Holding the Heavenly Christ Colossians 2.19

Intro

Every true Christian can be said to hold Christ in one way or another. Our discussion dwells on the manner of holding him.

Christ came from heaven. He was manifested on earth as the One who revealed the invisible God. This manifestation was as a perfect man. He was rejected, lowly and despised, a man of sorrows. Yet he formed attachments with those who followed him. Mary of Magdala was one who followed him and was attached to him with great devotion. After his passion, he returned to heaven as a glorified man. God manifest in the flesh returned to heaven in a body, which forever bears the marks of his passion. Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) was another who followed him. Yet he did not follow Him on earth as Mary had. He knew him as a risen, ascended, exalted man in the glory. He had blinding glimpse of that exalted One, which changed his life forever. Till his death, Paul held to the Christ of glory.

There are the options; holding Christ as an earthly Man or holding Christ as a heavenly ascended Man.

I. Holding the Earthly Christ John 20.18

Early on the morn of Christ’s resurrection, several women came to the tomb where the body of Jesus was buried. In the course of their experience meeting the risen Christ, they came and held him by the feet. In the account of this first appearance of Christ in resurrection, John said that he asked Mary to stop holding him. The A.V. says, "touch me not". But the force of the present tense with the negative suggests, "stop holding me." John informs us that Mary was holding or clinging to Christ. Some commentators suggest that the Lord was prohibiting any contact with his body basing this on the translation of the A.V, "touch me not". Some have even suggested that Christ was presenting his blood in the holy of holies in heaven and thus could not be detained or defiled by Mary’s touch ! This fanciful view demonstrates the danger of reliance on a translation alone without reference to the "original" texts, all of which militate against this interpretation. "Stop clinging to me" enhances the testimony of another evangelist who reported that his disciples came and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Matthew 28.10. Furthermore his ascension occurred 40 days later (see Acts 1.3). The resurrection itself demonstrated the approbation that God had in the death of his Son as a perfect sacrifice (Psalm 16 & Acts 4.10-12 Hebrews 9.27) The sin offering of Christ provided reconciliation for sin. There was no need for any subsequent work such as some supposed would be necessary after the resurrection. On the cross Jesus cried, "It is finished !"

No wonder some still cling to an earthly view of Christ. They do not see the completeness of his work. They see him on the cross but they do not see an empty tomb. They see the empty tomb but they fail to appropriate him as he is now, ascended. Like Mary, they are still expecting the Lord to function as he did with his disciples and the multitudes when he was here. They are comfortable with the old creation with all of its decay and loss and are not pressing on with respect of the new creation in Christ Jesus.

Would he not say to all such, stop clinging to me?

II. Holding the Heavenly Christ Colossians 2.19

Paul recommends that the believers hold the Head. "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not HOLDING FAST TO THE HEAD, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and li nts, grows with a growth that is from God." Colossians 2.19. RSV. The alternative to this is to investigate the activity of angels and ism and philosophy, hardly an activity for those who are satisfied with Christ. He had earlier in the Epistle stated that Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church. There is a new relationship based on membership in the body of Christ. All believers are in the organism called the body. Christ as the head of the body provides everything that the believer needs. He supplies everything that every joint and sinew requires to grow and to be healthy. See Ephesians…….No wonder Paul says that we are complete in Him. Col 2.

Challenge We are either holding Christ as he was or as he is now. We are either building up the old creation or reveling in the new creation with it Head, even Christ, the heavenly Man, the object of faith.

Israel was an earthly people with earthly hopes and aspirations. The Church is a heavenly people looking to a heavenly Lord and Savior. He is presently in the heavens above and would bid us to be occupied with those things which are above.

Gazing on Thee, Lord, in glory,
While our hearts in worship bow,
There we read the wondrous story
Of the cross its shame and woe.
Every mark of dark dishonour
Heaped upon Thy thorn crowned brow,
All the depths of Thy heart’s sorrow
Told in answ’ring glory now… WB

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