"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." The Holy Spirit was not yet fully manifested; for Christ had not yet been glorified. The more abundant impartation of the Spirit did not take place till after Christ's ascension. Not until this was received could the disciples fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to the world. But the Spirit was now given for a special purpose. Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished.

Ved Jesu fødsel havde engelen forkyndt: På jorden fred i mennesker, der har hans velbehag! Og nu, første gang Frelseren viste sig for sine disciple efter sin opstandelse, sagde han de samme velsignede ord til dem: "Fred være med eder!" Jesus er altid rede til at tale fred til sjæle, der er tynget af tvivl og frygt. Han venter på, at vi skal åbne døren til vort hjerte for ham og sige: Bliv hos os! Han siger: "Se, jeg står for døren og banker; om nogen hører min røst og åbner døren, da vil jeg gå ind til ham og holde nadver med ham, og han med mig." Åb. 3,20.