John 20:22

Context

John 20:22 belongs to the scene in chapter 20 of the Gospel of John in which the risen Jesus Christ appears to His disciples on the evening of the day of His resurrection. The disciples had gathered behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus pronounces peace upon them and shows them His hands and His side. He then sends them out, saying, "as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (v. 21). Next He breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit, and in verse 23 He speaks of remitting and retaining sins. Thomas was not present on this occasion (v. 24).

The Greek verb translated "breathed" also appears in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) at Genesis 2:7 and Ezekiel 37:9. Genesis 2:7 describes God breathing the breath of life into man. For this reason, many commentators read the verse as an allusion to a new creation.

Interpretation

The central interpretive question is how this verse relates to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2.

• The "Johannine Pentecost" reading: This view holds that John's Gospel narrates the same bestowal of the Spirit as Acts, though in a different way. A considerable number of New Testament scholars take this position.
• The two-stage reading: This view holds that the Spirit was actually given on this occasion, but it distinguishes this bestowal, which was for new life and mission, from the fullness of power for witness that came at Pentecost. A number of evangelical commentators read the passage this way.
• The proleptic-sign reading: Based on Jesus' statement that the Spirit would come only after He departed (John 16:7), this view regards the act as a sign anticipating what would be accomplished at Pentecost.

Debates and Issues

• The timing of Spirit baptism: Pentecostalism and some Holiness traditions hold that the disciples had already received the Spirit at this point and then received baptism in the Holy Spirit separately at Pentecost. They cite this as scriptural support for a distinct experience subsequent to conversion. The Reformed tradition counters that the period between the resurrection and Pentecost was a unique transitional moment in redemptive history (the history of God's work of salvation), so these events cannot serve as a normative pattern for the experience of believers today.
• The authority to forgive sins: Since the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church has taught that verses 22–23 provide the basis for the sacrament of penance. The ordinal for priests in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1662) also includes the words "Receive the Holy Ghost" together with the language of verse 23. Lutheran and Reformed churches, among others, tend to understand this authority as a ministry entrusted to the church and exercised through the proclamation of the gospel and church discipline.
• The procession of the Holy Spirit: Augustine and other Western theologians cited this scene as support for the teaching that the Spirit proceeds from the Son as well. The Orthodox Church reads the scene as the temporal sending of the Spirit, as distinct from His eternal procession.
• Translation: The original text has no explicit object corresponding to "on them," so translations vary somewhat in their wording. Some scholars also point to the absence of the article before "Holy Spirit" and argue that the phrase refers to a portion of the Spirit's gifts. Others counter that grammar alone cannot settle the question.

Liturgical Use

In churches that follow a lectionary based on the liturgical calendar, this passage is read on appointed Sundays. In the Revised Common Lectionary, John 20:19–31 is the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter every year, and John 20:19–23 is one of the Gospel readings for Pentecost in Year A. As a result, it is often preached together with Acts 2.

Related Passages

• Genesis 2:7
• Ezekiel 37:11–14
• John 16:7
• Acts 1:4–5
• John 15:26–27