Q: What does it mean in John 20:22 that Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit?

A: It is an allusive passage that is open to multiple interpretations. So let me start with what is clear. First, this is a commissioning text. That is, Jesus is sending the Apostles out to evangelize and proclaim forgiveness of sins. In order to do that, he must empower them, not merely commission them. This act of breathing on them is intended to bestow power on them to carry out ministry (whether it is real or merely symbolic). Second, the Holy Spirit is symbolized by wind (in fact, that is what the word "Spirit” means). Hence this action would be clearly understood as a bestowal of the Holy Spirit. Third, is John saying that this was Pentecost in contradiction to Luke (who saves it for Acts 2). In other words, is this their baptism in the Holy Spirit? No. John understands and teaches that the Holy Spirit, in the Pentecost sense, would not be given until after Jesus’ ascension (Jn 7:39; 16:7). So what is it? I see two valid possibilities. (1) It is a real empowerment and a real bestowal of the Holy Spirit for their special Apostolic ministry, which others would not receive and which is distinct from the baptism of the Holy Spirit first identified with Pentecost. We must remember that one can be filled with the Spirit in multiple ways and on multiple occasions (unlike being sealed with the Spirit which is a single, permanent event). (2) This may be a symbolic foreshadowing of Pentecost. Since John does not write a second volume, and since he has a particular interest in the Holy Spirit, it would seem reasonable that he would want to "complete” the story of Jesus by showing their empowerment to carry out their commission. Telling of Pentecost, for him, might be too much detail at the end of his book so he may have chosen to simply allude to it through this little vignette (which undoubtedly really happened).

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