The Gospel of John

Jesus Breathes

The disciples are still thunderstruck. They saw him die on the cross. Now he's standing in the room with them, no tomb strong enough to hold him.

What would it be like to see someone die, incontrovertibly dead, and then have that same person, pierced hands and all, walking with you, warm, incontrovertibly alive? Talking. Telling stories just as he had when he was... What? Alive? Alive before? We don't have the words for this. Before you died, Lord? No wonder Thomas was confused.

It's His voice. It's his hand reaching for the bread. Live with someone for three years, you know them. The disciples could identify Jesus by his walk at half a mile.

What does this mean?

And then Jesus walks up to each of his disciples, and breathes on them. The breath of the Lion of Judah. God breathes. Warm air wafts over each of the men in the room.
"Receive the Holy Spirit," he says to them. Poor confused men. They have no idea what has happened. Their world has been turned upside down by one living breath.

posted by Larry @ 6:31 PM