Many theorize that Jesus didn't...
Many theorize that Jesus didn't want Mary to hold onto him because following his
resurrection he had to immediately ascend to the Father and then come back to make
other appearances. This passage might indicate that, but we must also reckon with Luke's
chronology both in his gospel and in the book of Acts.
There's another explanation why Jesus said what he did to Mary Magdalene. Luke 24
informs us that Jesus scheduled a full agenda that day. He walked with the two disciples
to Emmaus, a distance of perhaps seven miles. Not long afterward Jesus appeared to the
eleven.