Just Breathe

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.' " - John 20:22-23

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. " - Genesis 1:2

We can survive close to a month without eating. Without water, it's around 3-5 days. But without breathing, it's closer to 3-5 minutes. So breathing is kind of important!

But the breath that John is talking about isn't just Jesus breathing. Yes, Jesus is back in a physical sense (which includes respiration), his breath has a much deeper connection to the disciples. He's giving the disciples the Holy Spirit in the same form that the Spirit was before us - that is the ruach, or "Breath of God". The wind that swept over the darkness that was the planet - void of form for God had yet created a being that could understand it's form. It is this ancient wind that Jesus breathes out onto the disciples - and then entrusts them to give it to others after he's ascended into Heaven.

Understandably, this is a big moment. And it is fulfilling a prophecy by John the Baptist, made before Jesus's baptism many years ago - "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.". And from this point forward, the disciples are fully responsible for carrying on Jesus's mission, and spreading the Good News about who he was, what he said, and what he wants from each of us.

And this mission has stood the test of time. Sure, different folks have different takes on what Jesus was talking about - but the core values - to love one another, that God exists and loves us, and that our belief in Jesus will carry us into Heaven - are universal. And all because of this moment - in a locked room with a bunch of scared guys who just lost their teacher - when Jesus appears and baptizes them with the Holy Spirit.

So breathe easy. God loves you!