Jesus had to ascend to the Father on resurrection morning to enter the heavenly Holy of Holies as High Priest and present His own blood for eternal redemption.
Les Feldick teaches that Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement pattern on a higher level. Israel's high priest entered the earthly tabernacle behind the veil with animal blood, but Jesus had to enter the greater tabernacle in heaven with His own blood. This is why He told Mary not to touch Him: He had not yet ascended to His Father and needed to complete His priestly work.
John 20:17 — Jesus directly tells Mary He has not yet ascended to His Father, which is the exact event this page explains.
Hebrews 9:11-12 — This passage explains that Christ entered the heavenly tabernacle with His own blood to obtain eternal redemption.
John's Gospel records that on the resurrection morning Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, '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.' The writer of Hebrews explains the meaning of this event. Christ came as a High Priest of good things to come through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, entering once into the holy place and obtaining eternal redemption for us.
Les Feldick connects the resurrection morning to the Day of Atonement. He explains that Israel's high priest once a year took the blood of a sacrificed animal through the tabernacle, behind the veil, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat in the presence of God, covering Israel's sins for that next year. Jesus, as our High Priest, had to do the same thing. But He did not enter an earthly sanctuary; He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle in heaven, the very throne room of God. This is why He told Mary not to touch Him: He had to first ascend to the Father. Les emphasizes that Christ entered with His own blood, not with goats' or calves' blood, and that He entered once for all. Since His priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron, He is not just the High Priest of the Jew but the High Priest of all. By presenting His own blood in the heavenly Holy of Holies, He obtained eternal redemption for us.
Les teaches that Jesus was still on earth but told Mary not to touch Him because He had to go first to the Father. He links this to the Day of Atonement, where the high priest had to be meticulously washed and clean before entering the Holy of Holies. Jesus, about to enter the very presence of God in heaven, could not be touched with a defiled earthly person.
Les emphasizes that Christ did not go into Israel's earthly tabernacle or Solomon's temple. He went into the tabernacle in heaven. Instead of the blood of goats and calves, He brought His own shed blood from His crucifixion. He entered once into the holy place and, having done so, obtained eternal redemption for us.
Les points out that Christ is not a high priest after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek. This means He is not just the high priest of the Jew; He is the high priest of everyone. Because His priesthood is universal, His once-for-all entrance into the heavenly tabernacle with His own blood applies to all believers.
The Day of Atonement background
Les shows that just as Israel's high priest went behind the veil with animal blood on the Day of Atonement, Christ our High Priest had to carry out His priestly work on resurrection morning, which is why He was not yet available to Mary.
A high priest for all people
Les says Jesus would not let Mary touch Him because He still had to immediately ascend into the Father's presence; Christ is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron, so He serves Jew and Gentile alike.
Hebrews 9:11-12 — the heavenly tabernacle
Les quotes Hebrews 9:11-12 to show that Christ's place of sprinkling is not an earthly building but the tabernacle in heaven, and that He entered with His own blood rather than goats' and calves' blood.
Mary, don't touch me
Les explicitly says Jesus told Mary not to touch Him because He had to go first to the Father, and connects this to the high priest's required cleanliness before entering the Holy of Holies.
Entered once for all
Les emphasizes that Christ entered the throne room of God once, not repeatedly, and that this once-for-all entrance was made by His own blood.
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Because if it had been any other way, He couldn't have shed the blood of the Holy Spirit. Verse 23, because it had been spoken again in the Old Testament, Verse 23, Now remember, Jesus is the name of His humanity, of His humility. It's Jesus upon whom is laid the sins of the world. Now, I think I threw it out on the program several months ago.
Eternal redemption obtained
Les contrasts Israel's tabernacle and Solomon's temple with the one in heaven, explaining that as our High Priest Christ entered the heavenly holy place with His own shed blood and obtained eternal redemption.
Why Mary was forbidden to touch Him
Les connects the resurrection-morning command to Christ entering the Holy of Holies in heaven once for all, by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
John 20:17: Jesus 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.
This is the resurrection-morning statement that directly answers why Jesus had to ascend to the Father.
Hebrews 9:11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
This shows that Christ's high priestly work took place in a heavenly tabernacle, not an earthly one.
Hebrews 9:12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
This explains the once-for-all entrance into the heavenly holy place with His own blood, which was the purpose of the resurrection-morning ascension.
Les Feldick explains that Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father. As our High Priest, He had to first enter the heavenly Holy of Holies and present His own blood. He could not be touched by a defiled earthly person before completing that priestly work.
No. Les teaches that Christ entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle in heaven, not made with hands. He did not go into Israel's tabernacle or Solomon's temple, but into the very throne room of God.
Les says that by entering the holy place with His own blood, He obtained eternal redemption for us. It was a once-for-all entrance, unlike the yearly Day of Atonement sacrifices.
No. Les emphasizes that Christ's priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron. This means He is not just the high priest of the Jew, but of whomever we might be.
Watch the Teaching: Jesus as High Priest: The Order of Melchizedek Explained