Sunday Morning - Clinging to Christ
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In the class, the teacher examined John 20:11‑18, focusing on Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. He narrated Mary’s sorrowful watch at the tomb, her unrecognizing of Jesus, and the pivotal exchange where Jesus called her by name, revealed Himself as "Rabboni," and instructed her not to cling to Him because He had not yet ascended. The teacher highlighted Mary’s devotion as a model of clinging to Christ, emphasizing that true discipleship involves both deep attachment and obedient release to God’s will. The lesson also linked Mary’s example to everyday challenges, encouraging believers to maintain steadfast devotion in both good and bad times. The teacher used vivid analogies—a child holding a parent’s hand, a safari driver gripping as an elephant charges—to illustrate the tension between holding on and letting go. Practical applications included upcoming church events, a door‑to‑door invitation effort, and the invitation to personally "cling to Christ" in daily life.
Key Scriptures
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she bent over and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I don't know where they put him. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recognize that it was Jesus. He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you put him, and I will get him." And Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" which means "Teacher." Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have yet to ascend to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I'm ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the good news, "I have seen the Lord." She told them what he had said and these things that he had said to her.