Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:19–23
Days after appearing to Mary, Jesus appears to his disciples. I want you to picture yourself as one of the disciples… living in fear behind locked doors and most likely still processing the news from Mary Magdalene that she saw and spoke with Jesus. Where was he? Would he appear to them too? How could that happen? And then suddenly he is in the room. I don’t know about you, but I would be afraid and maybe a little confused. Which is exactly why Jesus greets them with “peace be with you” and proves it's him by showing his scars from the nails and communicating why he's there. He has their attention—and mine.
Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was a new way of thinking. Up until this point, Jesus was with them all the time. Jesus was forgiving people of their sins, healing them, teaching—there was no need for the Holy Spirit because the Son of God was at work. Here we see the 12 disciples are given a clear mission to go and communicate the good news of great joy for all people with the help of the Holy Spirit. They were to tell others that when you believe in the one true God, your sins are forgiven. They were able to do this because of the authority God had given them through the Holy Spirit. In the same way, God has given all his believers the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Friend, the Advocate, the Helper, and the Comforter to live within us and do the same work. Jesus said, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” The same power that raised Jesus from the grave has been sent to you. It empowers you to speak the gospel and to bring others to Christ—just as the disciples were tasked to go and speak the truth. We’re to speak about his death and resurrection daily, not just around Easter. We are to bring others to him so that he may forgive them of their sins, set them free, and experience his unconditional love.
I’m embarrassed to admit that sometimes I forget the power of the Holy Spirit is alive in me. Jesus said it's better to have the Advocate over him in the flesh (John 16:7). I forget that when I gave my life to the King of Kings, he breathed the Holy Spirit into me too. He sends me just like he sent the first 12. And why do I forget? Perhaps because I can’t see the Holy Spirit and it’s not something tangible. The Lord challenged me through these verses to acknowledge the Spirit at work and to look for ways to leverage his power to do God’s will. When I serve others—especially the next generation—I should lead out of the confidence that the Helper will teach me all the things and remind me what Jesus said (John 14:26) when I am speaking his truth. The world needs a Savior. It starts with recognizing their need for forgiveness and continues with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us live boldly, knowing the Spirit lives in us.
CHALLENGE: Think about…
- How do these verses personally impact you?
- How do these verses impact you as you serve on a Sunday?
Written by Alex Buckley
