Receive the Holy Ghost

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

John 20:22 KJV

 What did Jesus mean when He told His disciples to Receive the Holy Ghost?

Recall the scene that prompted this response from Jesus. The ten disciples are afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. Why? Three days earlier, these same leaders had condemned Jesus to death for claiming equality with God, and they had accused His disciples of stealing Jesus’ body from the grave. So, on the same day of Jesus’ resurrection, He returns to these frightened disciples hiding in a secluded room, away from the religious authorities. Upon entering the room, Jesus gives the customary greeting of Peace be unto you, of which He stated the same greeting twice, reiterating that with Jesus, Peace follows. Before Jesus’ crucifixion, He emphasized that it was expedient for Him to depart, so I can visualize that each of them began to wonder what advantage they could have if the same fate awaited them. Yet, Jesus makes a profound mission statement explaining their true purpose as selected disciples of his:

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

John 20:21 KJV

Then, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples to instill within them a sense of their Kingdom purpose that He was passing to them from the Father. Although Thomas was not present, this experience was only an anticipatory act.

Jesus performed this anticipatory act in a secluded room by breathing the Holy Spirit onto them. This experience moved His disciples toward a greater purpose, as exemplified on the day of Jesus’ water baptism in the Jordan River. While the breathing was external, its impact was internal and spiritual. Because this act was anticipatory, it allowed them to realize the preparation needed for this commission. Remember, Jesus commissioned each disciple to carry on His mission from the Father, which is impossible without a supernatural power. Therefore, He breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. From this moment, the disciples began to grasp the spiritual necessity of preparing for their work in the Kingdom. From this anticipatory act, we can equate that the disciples obeyed Jesus after His final ascension into the celestial Heaven to tarry in Jerusalem for the permanent coming of the Holy Ghost that occurred in the Upper Room on Pentecost.

Jesus breathed on his disciples

Receive Ye the Holy Ghost