Question: Why was Mary told by the Lord “Touch Me not,” in John 20, while the women “held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him,” in Matthew 28:9?
Answer: In John 20 Mary illustrates the present relation of the church with Christ. We do not know Him after the flesh. We are linked with Him, not as the Messiah on earth, but as a heavenly Christ. Thomas, on the other hand, represents the Jew who must see in order to believe. In Matthew 28, which, as you know, presents our Lord in His Jewish relations we find the women holding Him by the feet, teaching us in the most blessed manner, that He will yet resume His links with Israel, according to the promises made to the fathers. We must remember that the church forms no part of the ways of God with Israel and the earth.