Jesus then said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:21-23
sent with the power of the spirit
Jesus said twice, “Peace be with you.” Then he said, “Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
The peace that Jesus gives is not permanent. This inspires those who have found peace to now offer it to others in Jesus name.
Notice what empowered Jesus’ disciples: “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” The same Lord who breathed life into Adam now breathes new life into the frightened disciples. Resurrection life becomes missionary life.
And what is the core of their mission? Forgiveness. “If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is an amazing right. Christians do not invent forgiveness; They distribute what Jesus bought. The peace that Jesus spoke in that closed room now reaches the ears of sinners through the mouths of believers. When a believer in Jesus declares, “I forgive you in the name of Jesus,” this is not wishful thinking. It is the living Jesus who is applying the forgiveness that He purchased and won.
Receive the power of forgiveness from the risen Jesus.
Receive the power to forgive from the risen Jesus.
You have been sent into this world to bring peace to people – not necessarily across oceans, but across rooms, across tables, across ordinary conversations. You carry the message that death has been defeated and sins have been forgiven.
“peace be with you!”
Prayer:
Jesus, breathe your Spirit into me. Fill me with your peace and send me to share the forgiveness you have won. Amen.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used with permission from Zondervan. All rights reserved world wide.
