John 20:19-23,
English Standard Version
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
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19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
This was the epitome of the apostles being born again. Just as we receive the Holy Spirit when we believe Jesus as our Savior, the apostles were the first to believe, understand (as good as could be expected for witnessing a miracle), and receive the Holy Spirit. It would likely have been easier for them to accept than it is today, they lived, walked, and talked with this man. But it didn’t make it any less miraculous. They saw him tortured and crucified, yet here he was.
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And it was through the “breath of life,” echoing the Creation of Adam that they received the Spirit, that they were once again elevated to the beautiful garden “status,” reconciled with God. All they had to do was believe in him. And thus, in doing so, Jesus allowed for believers to spread the Gospel of Jesus, telling others that receive him that their sins are forgiven, while warning unbelievers that they are in danger of forfeiting God’s gift of mercy because their sins are not forgiven. God is merciful, loving, kind, and compassionate.
Bless His Holy Name!
God bless you today.
What is the Purpose of John's Gospel? It is a little different than the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke...
The Purpose of This Book
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30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.