Exposition of John 20:22 and Holy Spirit
John 20:22 records a pivotal moment in the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, where he imparts the Holy Spirit to his disciples. The verse, as rendered in the Literal Translation of the Bible (LITV), states: "And saying this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit" [1]. This event occurs on the evening of the day of Jesus' resurrection, after he has appeared to Mary Magdalene and before his ascension [6, 7].
The immediate context of John 20:22 is Jesus' first appearance to his disciples after his resurrection. The disciples are gathered behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews" [9]. Jesus suddenly appears among them, offering a greeting of peace and showing them his hands and side, bearing the marks of his crucifixion, to confirm his identity [9]. Following this, he commissions them, stating, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21). It is immediately after this commissioning that the act of breathing and the command to "Receive the Holy Spirit" takes place [1]. This sequence suggests a direct link between the disciples' mission and their empowerment by the Spirit [6].
The act of Jesus "breathing on them" carries significant theological weight. John Gill notes that this action alludes to God's breathing the breath of life into man at creation, as well as to the Spirit itself, which is described as the "breath of God" [3]. This imagery connects the new life and mission given to the disciples with the original act of creation, suggesting a new creation or re-creation through the Spirit [3]. The Greek word for "Spirit," pneuma, can also mean "breath" or "wind," reinforcing this connection [3].
Interpreters have understood this event in various ways, particularly concerning its relationship to the Pentecost event described in Acts 2. Many scholars view John 20:22 as an "earnest and first-fruits of the more copious Pentecostal effusion" [4]. Tyndale House commentary suggests that this gift of the Spirit fulfilled many of Jesus' earlier promises that the Spirit would be sent (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13) [6]. It is seen as a preliminary empowerment, foreshadowing the full arrival of the Spirit's empowering presence at Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-47) [6]. This perspective highlights that while the Spirit was given here, the full public manifestation and empowering for widespread ministry would come later.
John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, discusses this passage in the context of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He emphasizes that Jesus' act of breathing on the apostles and filling them with the Spirit was a "specimen of his divine power" [8]. Calvin distinguishes this unique act from the later administration of the Spirit through the laying on of hands by the apostles, which he views as a ceremony to commend individuals to God [5]. For Calvin, the direct breathing of Christ was a singular, divine act that cannot be replicated by human means [8].
The timing of this gift of the Spirit is also significant. The Tyndale House commentary notes that the Spirit had not been given previously because Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:39) [6]. The resurrected and glorified Jesus, in his new bodily form, is the one who pours out the Spirit on his followers [6]. This indicates that the resurrection and glorification of Christ are prerequisites for the sending of the Spirit, establishing a theological link between Christ's completed work and the Spirit's empowering presence [6, 7].
The phrase "Receive the Holy Spirit" (λάβετε Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον, labete Pneuma Hagion) is a direct command. This command, coupled with the symbolic act of breathing, signifies an immediate impartation. However, the nature of this impartation—whether it was a full, permanent indwelling or a specific empowerment for their immediate mission—is a point of discussion. The cross-references provided by the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge for John 20:22 include passages related to Jesus' authority and the disciples' mission, such as Mark 6:7 (Jesus sending out the twelve) and John 17:22 (Jesus giving his glory to the disciples) [2]. This suggests an emphasis on the Spirit's role in empowering the disciples for their apostolic task.
The Eastern Orthodox tradition, as represented by John of Damascus, emphasizes Christ's two natures and two natural wills and energies [10]. While not directly commenting on John 20:22, this theological framework would understand Christ's act of breathing the Spirit as an exercise of his divine will and energy, flowing from his single personhood, yet acting through both his divine and human natures [10].
The event in John 20:22 is distinct from the later Pentecost event in Acts 2, yet intrinsically linked. Pentecost is characterized by visible and audible phenomena—a rushing wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in other languages—and results in the conversion of thousands [6]. In contrast, John 20:22 is a more intimate, private impartation to the disciples, without such outward signs. This distinction leads to the understanding that John 20:22 represents the initial bestowal of the Spirit for the disciples' personal spiritual life and their immediate commission, while Pentecost marks the public inauguration of the church and the empowering for its global mission [6].
Sources
- John “John 20:22 (LITV) — And saying this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “John 17:22 cross-references: Mark 6:7, Mark 16:17, Luke 22:30, John 1:14, John 1:16, John 14:20, John 15:18, John 17:24, John 20:21, Acts 5:41, Romans 15:15, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:20, 2 Corinthians 6:1, Ephesians 2:20, Philippians 1:29, Colossians 1:24, 2 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 John 1:3, 1 John 3:24, Revelation 21:14”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 20:22: And when he had said this,.... That is, declared he sent them forth in like manner as his Father sent him: he breathed on them; in allusion to God's breathing the breath of life into man, at his creation; or rather, to the Spirit himself, who is the breath of God, and proceeds from him, as from the Father; and who breathes both upon persons in regeneration, and in qualifying for ministerial service, at the instance and influence of Christ: and such an opinion the Jews have of the Spirit of the Messiah, who say (p), that "the Spirit went from between the wings of th”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 20:22: he breathed on them--a symbolical conveyance to them of the Spirit. and saith, Receive ye the Holy Ghost--an earnest and first-fruits of the more copious Pentecostal effusion.”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 101: gifts of the Holy Spirit, which he then poured out upon his people, should be administered and distributed by his apostles by the laying on of hands. I think that there was no deeper mystery under this laying on of hands, but I interpret that this kind of ceremony was used by them to intimate, by the outward act, that they commended to God, and, as it were, offered him on whom they laid hands. Did this ministry, which the apostles then performed, still remain in the Church, it would also behove us to observe the laying on of hands”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 20:22: 20:22 Jesus commissioned the disciples and then empowered them with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not been given previously because Jesus had not yet been glorified (7:39). The glorified Jesus, resplendent in his resurrected body, poured the Spirit on his followers. This gift fulfilled many promises that the Spirit would be sent (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13). It foreshadows the arrival of the Spirit’s empowering presence at Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-47).”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 20:17: 20:17 Mary thought that with the resurrection, Jesus would resume normal relations with his disciples. She was trying to cling to the joy she discovered in her resurrected Lord. But his fellowship with her would come in a new form (20:22). Jesus had not yet ascended to complete his return to the Father, but the process was underway. Before his final departure, he would give the Holy Spirit (20:22; see 14:15-21, 26; 15:26-27; 16:5-15).”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 101: Lord said to his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit” ( John 20:22 ). He said also to Lazarus, “Lazarus, come forth” ( John 11:43 ). He said to the paralytic, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” ( John 5:8 ). Why do they not say the same to all the dead and paralytic? He gave a specimen of his divine power when, in breathing on the apostles, he filled them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. If they attempt to do the same, they rival God, and do all but challenge him to the contest. But they are very far from producing the effect, and”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 20:20: And when he had so said,.... The above salutation, in the most kind, tender, and affectionate manner: and to put them out of all pain, and that they might know certainly who he was, he showed them his hands and his side; his hands, which had been pierced with the nails, the marks of which were then to be seen; and which they all knew must be the case, since he was crucified; and his side, which was pierced with a spear, and which left a wide open wound, and which John, who was among them, was an eyewitness of. These he showed, partly to convince them that he was not ”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 60: Chapter XIV .— Concerning the volitions and free-will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, then, Christ has two natures, we hold that He has also two natural wills and two natural energies. But since His two natures have one subsistence, we hold that it is one and the same person who wills and energises naturally in both natures, of which, and in which, and also which is Christ our Lord: and moreover that He wills and energises without separation but as a united whole. For He wills and energises in either form in close commun”