εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”
“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 (ἐνεφύσησεν)
them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive (ἀφῆτε) are forgiven (ἀφέωνται) them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)
Generally, breathing on someone is considered rude behavior in Western culture. What happens, though, when one breathes into another during CPR compressions? What happens when that breath is a shared, loving kiss? In these cases, social convention gives way to an action that gives life and intensifies love. Such is the rich imagery of Jesus’ breath of the Holy Spirit infused into the disciples to continue the work of redemption and the transformation of the human heart.
A number of episodes in the Old Testament employ 2 words that form a backdrop for Jesus breathing on His disciples. In Genesis 2, the Divine Breath (נְשָׁמָה, nshamah) is blown into the nostrils transforming good-for-nothing-clay (or dust) into a living being. Nshamah here conveys vitality, necessity. Without the Divine Nshamah, there is no life. All in the created order, humanity especially, is dependent upon this life-principle.
From a related yet slightly different perspective Psalm 104 and Ezekiel 37 employ the Hebrew word רוח (ravach) “When you hide your face, they panic. Take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust (Psalm 104:29).” In Ezekiel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O breath (רוּחַ ruwach), and breathe (נָפַח naphach) into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath (רוּחַ ruwach) entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army (Ezekiel 37:5-10).” The two Hebrew word groups, nshamah and ravach/ruwach, complement each other in terms of origin and growth. Nshamah conveys a sense of life beginning once the breath of God has been breathed into humanity. Ravach/ruwach, especially in their original Hebrew usage, conveyed a sense of growing as a result of inflating.
In his Catechetical Lectures, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem sees clear connections between Jesus’ actions and the Old Testament references: “This was the second time he breathed on human beings – his first breath having been stifled through willful sins. But though he bestowed his grace then, he was to lavish it yet more bountifully.” Interestingly, this offers insight into the reality of sin and why Jesus’ breath is so vital for human living. Against the backdrop of nshamah and ravach/ruwach, sin is a gradual suffocation of life. As the selfishness of sin increases, the capacity to love – the giving to other and receiving from the other – diminishes to the point of a smoldering ember, soon to be snuffed out. Not realizing that our very lives are gasping for breath to live, the death-spiral of sin robs us of Who is necessary for authentic love and life.
On this Easter Sunday, the Church rejoices in the Easter gift of the Jesus’s breath. The kiss of His breath infuses our broken nature with the life giving warmth of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' breath inflates our wounded nature to transform it into a vessel of selflessness, boldly proclaiming to all, “The Lord is risen. He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!”
