Adopted

by Katie Harding on November 8, 2021

Last week I mentioned Jesus’ questions to Mary Magdalene in the garden after His resurrection: “Woman why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” I have continued this week reflecting on that passage and am struck by several things.

In all her excitement, I can imagine Mary’s instinctive action to reach out and touch Jesus’ arm. She had just learned her Lord — the Teacher she loved — was alive and standing in front of her. I think I would want to reach out and touch Him, too. But Jesus discouraged this, not because He didn’t want her to hold onto to Him, but just not yet. He told her, “Do not hold onto me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father.”

But the Jesus we know is One who has ascended, which means we can hold onto Him all we want — not only in our excitement, but also in our sorrow. Holding onto Jesus is often the only thing that can get us through the day. He is always there to grab onto as God has promised to never fail us or forsake us.

Jesus followed His comment with instructions for Mary to go to His “brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” In this one verse that is quickly read and often overlooked, Jesus announced the paradigm shift that was about to occur.

Jesus didn’t refer to His followers as disciples or friends, but He called them His brothers and said, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father…” The adoption door was opened. “He [God the Father] destined for us adoption as his children through Jesus Christ…” We are God’s children. "And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” We are now immediate family, adopted through rebirth of Christ’s Spirit in our lives. It is through His Spirit who dwells within us that we are able to relate personally to the Father. This is why Jesus said, "…no one comes to the Father except through Me.” He didn’t mean figuratively, but literally…through Him. Our access – our adoption – to the Father is through the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ.

He was about to ascend to make it so. This is the message Jesus was giving Mary to share.

November is National Adoption month. As the grandmother of three grandchildren who were adopted into our family, I can’t even begin to describe the feelings we have when God gifts us another child to love. We don't refer to them as our adopted grandchildren. They are our real grandchildren, who entered our family through adoption instead of birth. That is how God looks at us in Christ. We are His real children, plain and simple. And He is our Father – loving us, watching over us and wanting His best for us. Thank you, Jesus.