Missionaries for Jesus
Today’s passage: John 20:21–23
Focus verse: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)
Jesus again says, “Peace be with you!” He’s already said this twice (Luke 24:36 and John 20:19). And he’ll say it a fourth time to Thomas in one week (John 20:26).
Jesus says this each time he encounters one of his followers in his resurrected form.
He must sense how jarring his unexpected appearance in his risen-from-the-dead body is to his followers, despite having told them he would do exactly that: die and rise from the dead.
He wants them to feel peace instead of angst. Filling them with peace to replace their fear will also allow them to better hear what he has to say.
He follows his proclamation of peace by giving them a trio of instructions.
First, he sends them into the world, just as his Father sent him. In short, he commissions them for ministry. John doesn’t give us any more information about this, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke all do.
We’ll cover what they have to say in the days ahead. The point is that Jesus expects them to share the good news of salvation through him with others.
Next, Jesus breathes on his disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Just as God breathed physical life into Adam at creation (Genesis 2:7), Jesus now breathes spiritual life into his followers.
Though we might assume the disciples receive this supernatural impartation right away, John doesn’t say that. And later we’ll see from Luke’s writings that it will be a few more weeks before the Holy Spirit arrives and empowers them.
It could be John is taking poetic license and implicitly combining these events here in one passage. Or maybe Jesus is preparing them to receive the Holy Spirit.
But let’s not concern ourselves with when or how they receive it. The essential issue is that they do, in fact, receive the Holy Spirit.
The third thing Jesus says to them seems disconnected from the first two. But it’s not.
He tells them that if they forgive anyone’s sins, those people’s sins are forgiven. Conversely, if they do not forgive anyone’s sins, those people’s sins aren’t forgiven.
We shouldn’t, however, think that Jesus authorizes them to forgive sins. Only he can do that. Instead, as aligned with the context of this passage, Jesus wants them to tell others about him for the forgiveness of sins.
Those who believe in him will receive forgiveness for their sins.
Those who do not believe will not receive his forgiveness.
Questions:
- Do we have Jesus’s peace within us?
- Have we received the Holy Spirit?
- Are we telling others the good news about Jesus?
Prayer: Jesus, fill us with your peace, the Holy Spirit, and the confidence to tell others about you.
[This devotional is taken from the Day 29 reading in The Victory of Jesus.]
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his return to heaven in The Victory of Jesus. The Victory of Jesus is another book in Peter DeHaan’s beloved Holiday Celebration Devotionals Series. Get your copy today.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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