On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Jn20:19-23)
The author, by describing ‘on the evening of the first day of the week’, says that the work of new creation has begun. He connects to the defeat of death which Jesus has accomplished. When God came looking for Adam and Eve it was at the time of the evening breeze (Gen 3:8). Also the statement ‘he breathed on them’ reminds us of the action of God at creation: “LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being”. So the whole narration in this passage speaks about new creation and connects it to the coming of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a sign of new creation.
The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ own spirit. This is the Spirit which is a special gift of the Father to the people. Jesus has said a lot about it in his final discourse (John Chapters 14, 15, 16). His main work will be to bear witness to Jesus and to glorify Jesus and also to reveal the complete truths to the disciples. He will also do the following: “And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
In verse 23 we read: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them”. But only God could forgive sins. Yes, and it is so. But, here, God is going to forgive sins through them and it is only after receiving the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit makes them do the works of God. Forgiveness is also a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
