John 20:11-18, 24-29 says, “11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her…24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

After Jesus resurrected, Mary had went to the sepulcher looking for Him. All she seen was the stone rolled away and an empty tomb because you cannot search and find the living among the dead. He had risen! Inside the sepulcher were two angels, and Mary was weeping because she believed someone had taken the body of Jesus, and she had no idea of where He was. But when she turned around, she saw Jesus standing there, but she thought He was a gardener. She did not realize that He was Jesus. He asked the question, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” As always He already knew the answer when He asked the question. Teachers always know the answers when they question their students! This inquisitive gardener could have easily supposed that she was weeping over the loss of a loved one, since she was standing nearby a tomb. However, He wanted to make sure Mary knew what she wanted. She responded by saying, “Tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Mary thought maybe this gardener had taken the body of Jesus Christ. Once He called on her name, without her even telling Him what her name was, she turned around and said, “Rabboni,” which means, “Master.” She did not call Him, “Son,” or, “Jesus,” but, “Master,” because that is what His position is. She was getting ready to hug Him, but He told her to “touch him not,” since He had not ascended to His Heavenly Father just yet. So, she went back to tell the disciples that she had seen the LORD!

What is interesting to note is that back in Jesus’ day, gardeners wore clothes very similar to what the high priest wore in the Tabernacle on the Day of Atonement, which is known in the Jewish culture as “Yom Kippur.” Usually, the high priest would wear bright, colorful clothing, but on the day when He was to intercede on behalf of the entire nation of Israel, he would wear just linen garments, very similar to what gardeners wore. On that day, he could not be touched, but the children of Israel would pray, fast and seek the LORD. God’s people knew that they were forgiven of their sins by the very fact that God would show up in the holy of holies and the high priest would not be “struck dead” in an instant and moment of time. Jesus, although appearing like a gardener, was wearing His priestly garments, as the blood He shed would become the ultimate atonement for our sins. He was going to not be touched yet because His priestly duties had not yet been completely fulfilled. Sin needed to be purged out of heaven from the result of the sins that Lucifer committed in heaven through his pride. It is the very reason why after a saint of God died, they did not go to heaven, but unto paradise, which was located in the heart of the earth. After Jesus ascended to His heavenly Father in heaven, His blood would purge the sin out of heaven, which is why after His resurrection, many graves were open and people who had been dead were seen walking up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Those Old Testament saints would now go to a sinless, spotless heaven, filled with the perpetual glory of God!

Following His secret ascension, Jesus would descend again and pay a visit to His disciples. The only who was missing the first go around was Thomas the doubter. After the other disciples had told him about Jesus’ resurrection and appearing, he said, “Except I will see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, all of the disciples, excluding Judas, were shut in, but Jesus came in, walking through the door. He was not standing around when Thomas made His statement, but as soon as Jesus saw him in the room, He said to him, “Reach your finger and look at my hands; and reach your hand, and thrust it into my side. Be no faithless, but believing.” Once Thomas did that, he said, “My Lord and my God.” Then, Jesus said, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed:  blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” I believe that even though Thomas heard the numerous reports about others’ encounter with Jesus Christ, he still doubted it because he wanted his own encounter in order to believe. After Jesus appeared to him and Thomas thrusted his hand into Christ’s side, I believe that he reached in and touched the heart of God. When he did that, he could not help but believe!

In this generation, many “Thomas’s” only want to believe if they would be able to just see God with their own eyes. We may not see Him in this life, but if we believe, we can still gain a true experience of His glory! We can still touch Him, even at this moment, with our uncompromising faith. Faith is what touches the heart of God. Many have been radically changed, saved, blessed and delivered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ through faith. You do not have to doubt Him. Believe on the report of the LORD!