Before we dive in, take a moment to read John 20:11-23. This passage sets the stage for one of the most life-changing moments in the Gospel.

The Risen Lord Appears to Mary Magdalene

In the Gospel of John chapter 20, the risen Lord first appears to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. She mistakes Him for the gardener until He calls her by name. Overjoyed, she reaches out to cling to Him, but Jesus says, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God’” (John 20:17).

Between this moment on resurrection morning and His later appearances, Jesus makes a brief, unseen ascension into the heavenly Holy of Holies. As our ultimate High Priest, He presents Himself—and offers up His own blood—as the final, once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24; Leviticus 16). Only after completing this priestly work does He return to earth. That is why, when He next appears, the restriction on clinging is lifted: the other women are permitted to hold His feet and worship Him (Matthew 28:9). This sequence is crucial. Something had to happen in heaven before the new creation could begin on earth. The atonement had to be fully presented to the Father. Only then could Jesus freely invite His followers to touch Him — and only then could He breathe new life into them.

The Commission That Changes Everything

That same evening, still on resurrection Sunday, Jesus comes to the ten gathered disciples (Thomas absent) behind locked doors. He shows them His hands and His side and invites them to handle Him and see that He is flesh and bones (John 20:20; Luke 24:39). Then He speaks these powerful words:

“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)

The Greek word for “sent” (apostellō) is the root of “apostolic.” It means to commission, to set apart for special service, to dispatch with a mission, to equip and send out with the full backing and authority of the Sender. These ordinary men—fishermen, a tax collector, and others—are no longer merely followers. They are now sent ones, carrying the same mission the Father gave the Son.

The Breath of the New Creation

Then comes the moment that changes everything:

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22)

The allusion to Genesis 2:7 is unmistakable. In the first creation, God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, and he became a living being. Now God the Son breathes on His own, and the new creation begins (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus’ command is direct and immediate: “Receive.” In that breath, the disciples are born again (John 3:3). They receive the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2), the regenerating power that makes them new creations. The old covenant has ended; the new has dawned.

No one before this night had received the Holy Spirit in this full, new-covenant sense. Even when Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:3-8), that was a forward-looking promise. John 7:39 makes it clear: “The Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Old Testament saints were saved by faith as they looked ahead to the coming Messiah, but the indwelling, regenerating work of the Spirit awaited the finished work of the cross and the empty tomb. Resurrection night marks the transition.

Two Distinct Works of the Holy Spirit

Jesus’ words set in context two distinct works of the Holy Spirit in every believer’s life. First, on Easter night, the disciples receive the Spirit of life—the regenerating breath that makes them born again, children of God, indwelt by the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11-17). Second, on Pentecost, they will receive the Spirit of power (Isaiah 11:2) to fulfill their mission—enabling bold witness and service to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5-8). The first work is about who we are; the second is about what we do.

Authority to Proclaim Forgiveness

Jesus immediately adds authority to their commission: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23). In context, He is not giving the disciples (or us) the power to decide who God forgives, nor is He commanding personal forgiveness of others as a condition for our own forgiveness. Rather, He is authorizing His commissioned servants to proclaim the gospel with divine certainty: when people repent and believe in Jesus, we can confidently declare, “Your sins are forgiven” because God has already forgiven them through Christ. If people reject the gospel, we can declare that their sins remain unforgiven. This carries the same holy urgency we see throughout the New Testament—sins are forgiven only through faith in Jesus, and the church is sent to announce that reality clearly to the world.

Choosing the Mission Above All

These first disciples—ordinary men with ordinary lives—would soon leave everything behind. Not because their circumstances suddenly improved, but because they chose Jesus’ mission over their current situation. They had just received new life by His breath, fresh orders by His word, and the authority of heaven behind them.

The same commission still stands for every follower of Christ today. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us. At En-Joy Ministries, we believe this truth is central to cultivating joy and growing faith. The question before each of us remains simple and urgent: will we choose His mission above everything else?