Ten of the eleven remaining disciples were gathered together on the evening of the day the rumor began to spread about Jesus being raised from the dead. They gathered in fear because they knew the Jewish leaders would not be happy about the rumor, and might take their frustration out on them. Then, Jesus showed up, standing in their midst and saying to them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).
Revealing Himself to be alive, with the wounds visible on His hands, feet, and side, the disciples were awestruck and they “rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20). As they collected their thoughts Jesus again said to them, “Peace be with you” (vs. 21). Then He commissioned them when He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (vs. 21). The Bible then says that as Jesus spoke these words, He breathed on them. That’s a strange act for our culture and age to grasp. Yet, it was a profound act that draws us back to the creation story in Genesis 2:7 where we read, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
As God breathed life into mankind in the beginning, He now breathes the life of the Spirit into His disciples. It would be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, but even now the Holy Spirit is breathed into these men. Whatever was to come in the life of these men, would be breathed onto all believers on the day of Pentecost, and it would change the world.
I love what Barbara Brown Taylor says about what was going on at Pentecost and how it would affect Jesus’ disciples then, and His disciples now. Taylor writes about Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost,
He told them how to prepare for a holy hurricane. ‘Reorient your lives.’ That is the truth of what he told them, knowing full well that was what would happen the moment Jesus came to live in them. Forget everything you ever thought you know about who is in charge in this world. Get ready to revise all your notions about what makes someone great, or right, or worthy of your attention. If you think you know which way is up, think again. If you think you know how things should turn out in the end, get ready to be wrong. This Jesus I have been telling you about is one surprise after another. You cannot second-guess him. All you can do is love him and let him love you back, any way he sees fit. Sometimes it is so strong it can scare you to death. You want to know what you should do. Repent, return, revise, reinvent yourself
Bread of Angels, p. 72-73
“Holy hurricane.” This is a great way to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. God can’t be contained, controlled, manipulated, or harnessed. When Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into you, get ready for the ride of your life.
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