“Again he said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’ Then he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
John 20:21–22 (NLT)
The disciples are afraid. They’re hiding behind locked doors, even after hearing Mary Magdalene say that Jesus is alive. Fear still has a voice when uncertainty lingers. And right into that fear, the resurrected Jesus suddenly appears and says, “Peace be with you.” He doesn’t shame their fear—He replaces it with His presence.
When we see the Lord—when He speaks, comforts, answers, or simply makes Himself known—joy follows. That’s why we need Him to come. The room may still be locked, but fear loses its authority when Jesus is present.
Then Jesus does something deeply intentional. He sends them the same way the Father sent Him, and He breathes on them. John uses a word that echoes the moment God breathed life into Adam. This is new-creation imagery. It also mirrors Jesus’ own baptism, when the Spirit descended like a dove and rested on Him to prepare Him for ministry. Now, Jesus’ breath makes a resting place for the Holy Spirit inside the disciples.
Earlier, Jesus promised that the Spirit who had been with them would be in them, that He and the Father would make their home within them. This is that moment. Christ is now in them through the Holy Spirit. This isn’t power for public ministry yet—that comes later—but it is life, peace, and assurance. It’s the same gift given to every believer when we confess Jesus as Lord and are made new.
Because of this, the disciples no longer need to live behind locked doors. Jesus doesn’t just appear to them—He abides in them. And those who carry His presence are sent to carry His message. Peace replaces fear, joy replaces hiding, and new life begins—not by human authority, but by Christ making His home in His people.