Rabboni

Occurrences in Scripture

Rabboni appears twice in the New Testament.

• John 20:16: The risen Jesus calls Mary Magdalene by name as she weeps outside the tomb. Mary turns and answers, "Rabboni." The Gospel of John itself explains the word: "which is to say, Master." Mary had at first supposed Jesus to be the gardener, and her reply marks the moment she recognizes him.
• Mark 10:51: At Jericho, the blind Bartimaeus addresses Jesus with this word and asks that he might receive his sight. The Greek text retains the word itself. Most Korean translations, however, including the New Korean Revised Version, render it as "Teacher," so Korean readers are more familiar with its use in John.

Meaning and Background

Rabboni is formed from an Aramaic word meaning "teacher" or "master" with a suffix meaning "my." The Greek text of the New Testament transliterates the word. The Gospel of John introduces it as a "Hebrew" word; scholars generally take this to refer to the Aramaic that Jews of the time spoke in everyday life. For more on this, see Languages of the Bible.

The word is close in meaning to "rabbi," which derives from the same root. Some scholars explain Rabboni as a more honorific or more intimate form of address than rabbi, though opinions differ on how significant the difference between the two terms is.

Broader Biblical Significance

In the Gospels, Jesus is frequently addressed as "Teacher." The title Rabboni reflects the fact that his disciples and followers regarded Jesus as their teacher.

In Matthew 20:33 and Luke 18:41, which recount the same story of the blind man at Jericho, the blind man addresses Jesus as "Lord." The same event is thus recorded with different forms of address in different Gospels.

In John 20, Mary recognizes Jesus when he calls her by name. Many commentators read this scene in connection with John 10:3–4, where the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ on what Mary meant by calling the risen Jesus "Teacher."

• An expression of intimacy: This view takes the word as expressing Mary's joy at regaining the familiar teacher-disciple relationship she had known before the resurrection.
• A not-yet-complete confession: Later in the same chapter, Thomas confesses, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Read in comparison with this confession, Mary's address is seen as reflecting a stage at which she had not yet fully grasped the meaning of the resurrection.

The two interpretations are not necessarily mutually exclusive. No official differences among denominations on this question are known.

After this exchange, Jesus says, "Touch me not" (John 20:17). The text does not specify how Mary took hold of Jesus. Depictions of Mary embracing Jesus' feet are details added in art and preaching.

In the Korean Church

This scene from John 20 is frequently used as a sermon text around Easter. Sermons commonly emphasize that Jesus meets individuals by calling them by name, and that the scene marks a turning point at which sorrow is transformed into the joy of the resurrection.