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On John 20:19–23, Numbers 11:24–30 (and Acts 2:1–21)
John 20:19–23 is when the disciples are gathered together after the crucifixion and Jesus’ body has disappeared, and they are hiding in fear of the Jewish authorities. This is when Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you”, and the disciples are filled with joy. It is a short passage but a lot happens. Jesus says to those present, “As the father sent me, so I send you;” he then breathes on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. In Numbers 11:24–30, Moses has been complaining to God, who has told him to assemble seventy men, so that they can be leaders along with him. At verse 24, Moses gathers the chosen men, and the Lord comes down and speaks. God takes some of the spirit he had given to Moses and shares it amongst the leaders. Acts 2:1–21 is the famous passage, where all the people present on the day of Pentecost were touched by the Holy Spirit, as it came down like a “strong wind blowing”(vs2.) In all three of these passages, it is people who are gathered together who are touched, and there is a reference in each to wind or breath, or the Spirit coming from the sky. This suggests it is the same spirit, the Spirit of God which is being shared.
The effects of this spirit recorded in the passages are similar. In Numbers 11 verse 25 it says, When the Spirit came upon them, “the leaders began to shout like prophets.” In the Acts passage, “the followers began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them,”(vs4.). Only in John 20, is there no mention of miraculous speech. In the passage in Acts 2, “the people around the town were amazed by the way the Christians behaved, and were confused or said they were drunk; and they kept asking each other, What does this mean?” I think this is the most important question about the Holy Spirit. Not what does it do or how do I get it, but why did God give it to humanity? The answer is in the text of the Bible, but it is easily overshadowed by the effects of the Spirit, disguised by Jesus’ language.
In the John passage, there is no mention of what the Spirit does, but there are some cryptic statements made by Jesus which explain its meaning. Firstly there is: “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you”; this is a message to the disciples telling them they have a mission to fulfill once Jesus has ascended. Then he tells them, “If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven, if you do not … they are not forgiven.” This statement seems out of place, until you realise Jesus is instructing them on the use of the Holy Spirit. He is telling them what power it gives, and how it should be used; it shows the Spirit is a communal thing, on which the disciples should agree and be at one with God, as he does not speak to them individually, but together, and it is an absolute statement on God’s forgiveness. So in this passage, it is the mission, spreading the message of the Gospel, which comes with the Holy Spirit which Jesus emphasises, not its effects.
This raises questions about the other passages and what the Spirit is for in them. In the Numbers passage, God asks for men to share responsibility with Moses, so it is to enable leadership through God’s power. In the John passage, peace and joy are mentioned, which although they are not directly linked to the coming of the Spirit, are relevant to it as they are fruits of the Spirit, blessings which God gives us by his power. These fruits are individual gifts which we are given, to help us in our lives. In Romans 8, Paul says that we live in the Spirit as Christians, and that the Spirit is Life for us, and we will possess the blessings He keeps for His people by it (vs 17.) This is clearly one meaning for the Spirit in our lives, yet in these passages, the emphasis is on the Holy Spirit as a spirit of unity, and a communal force for Christians together, to spread the Good news. It is something which unites us to God and to each other, and places on us a responsibility, as it did Moses’ seventy leaders, and it calls us to God’s work, as it did the disciples after the resurrection. The Spirit was very real to all of these people, manifesting itself in bodily effects, as well as new gifts such as visions, dreams, and prophecy (Acts 2:17), therefore it should be real to us today. But I think it is important for us to ask questions about the Spirit, like what does it mean to us, and to the world? And what is it for?
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Last modified: 25th November 2005