What does John 20:21 mean?
During Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, He mentioned that part of His mission was to send others out (John 17:18). Here, He begins a more formal version of that process. The apostles will be given a partial indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) and told to continue teaching according to Jesus' example. In His earlier teaching, Jesus pointed out that His message was God's message (John 14:10) and those who believed Him believed God (John 12:48–50). The same will apply to those who promote Christian truth via the gospel: accepting their message means accepting Jesus Christ, which means accepting God (John 13:20).Jesus makes a point of declaring "peace" to the apostles once again (John 20:19). The Bible often records reassurance coming at the start of supernatural encounters (Luke 1:11–13; 2:9–10; Acts 10:3–4), likely due to the natural fear of seeing creatures like angels. In Jesus' case, this reassurance echoes the words He spoke during the Last Supper. There, He continually reminded the disciples that they would face hardship but could do so with confidence thanks to His spiritual presence (John 14:25–27).
John 20:19–23 is the first time Jesus appears to His disciples after being raised from death. They are hiding behind a locked door in fear when Jesus appears to speak with them. Jesus shows physical evidence of His crucifixion, then gives the men a partial measure of the Holy Spirit. This validates the earlier testimony of Mary Magdalene. Thomas is the only disciple not present, and the next passage shows his resistance to believe what has happened.
Peter and John get a report from Mary Magdalene that Jesus' body is gone. They arrive to find an open grave, and empty grave clothes, along with a folded face cloth. When the two men leave, Mary remains and suddenly encounters a resurrected Jesus. Though she tells the others, they resist believing until they see Jesus in person. Thomas is especially stubborn, and Jesus remarks on how blessed they are to have been given so much proof. John points out that his writing is meant to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, arranged to encourage those who read to come to faith.
