The Holy Spirit

John 20:22 ESV

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Why did Jesus do this? Acts 1:3 records, “After his [Jesus’] suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” The events recorded in John 20:21 occurred during this forty-day period. According to John 20:19, this appearance of Jesus occurred “on the evening of that first day of the week.” This places Jesus’ breathing the Holy Spirit onto the disciples at the very beginning of the forty-day period in between His resurrection and ascension. This could have been a prefilling of the Holy Spirit, or it could have been the mark of a new beginning with them since He was about to launch into forty days of ministry in which they would need the Holy Spirit in them to retain all that He was about to teach them. Jesus knows just what we need!

Prayer:

Lord, You are the giver of life, thank You for the life that we live in You. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit that You sent to all mankind to empower us to do Your will on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit is the empowerment and the help we need in these trying times. In Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!