The act of Christ in breathing upon his disciples the Holy Ghost, and in imparting his peace to them, was as a few drops before the plentiful shower to be given on the day of Pentecost. Jesus impressed this fact upon his disciples, that as they should proceed in the work intrusted to them, they would the more fully comprehend the nature of that work, and the manner in which the kingdom of Christ was to be set up on earth. They were appointed to be witnesses for the Saviour; they were to testify what they had seen and heard of his resurrection; they were to repeat the gracious words which proceeded from his lips. They were acquainted with his holy character; he was as an angel standing in the sun, yet casting no shadow. It was the sacred work of the apostles to present the spotless character of Christ to men, as the standard for their lives. The disciples had been so intimately associated with this Pattern of holiness that they were in some degree assimilated to him in character, and were specially fitted to make known to the world his precepts and example. {3SP 243.1}

Da Kristus åndede på sine disciple og gav dem Helligånden og meddelte dem sin fred, var det ligesom en forsmag på den overflødige regn, som skulle udøses på pinsefestens dag. Jesus indprentede denne sandhed i sine disciplenes sind, at eftersom de skulle fortsætte den gerning, som blev dem betroet, skulle de mere fuldstændig forstå, hvad dette værk bestod i og den måde, hvorpå Kristi rige skulle oprettes på jorden. De skulle være vidner for Frelseren ; de skulle vidne, hvad de havde set og hørt om hans opstandelse; de skulle gentage de nådige ord, som udgik fra hans læber. De var bekendte med hans hellige væsen; han var ligesom en engel, der stod i solens lys, men alligevel ikke kastede nogen skygge bag sig. Det var apostlenes gerning at fremstille Kristi pletfrie karakter for menneskene, så at de kunne rette sit liv derefter. Disciplene havde haft så nøje omgang med dette mønster på hellighed, at deres karakter i en vis grad var blevet lig hans, (244) og de var særlig skikkede til at vidne om hans lære og liv for verden.