And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’

John 20:22 (NASB)

Various Views Held Throughout the Church Age

Various rebuttals to these positions are listed in the "exegetical support" below

Another Interpretation:

5. This was only symbolism (an "acted parable," a pledge) that pointed to the actual gift of the Holy Spirit soon to be received by all believers at Pentecost.

Exegetical Support:

• Jesus used symbolism earlier in John’s gospel (specifically of the Holy Spirit in 3:8). For instance, in 13:8b He told Peter, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Though Jesus in this case was directly referring to the foot washing, the event found its ultimate fulfillment later as it pointed to His work on the cross, which had yet to be accomplished. Peter’s physical foot washing was intended to symbolize his spiritual cleansing through Christ’s blood.

• Unless we believe that the Holy Spirit was in Christ’s breath, any interpretation must take this event as symbolic in some sense.

• If 20:22 was an exclusive distribution of the Holy Spirit for the Apostles, why did Jesus exclude Thomas (see Jn. 20:24)?

• Just as Jesus spoke of receiving the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 as a completed event, He did the same elsewhere in this Gospel regarding His "hour" (12:23) and His glorification (Jn. 13:31; 17:5) even though both events were still futuristic.

• The words "on them" should probably not be carried into our English translation. We would be more accurate to simply say, "He breathed" or "He exhaled." The omission of these two words gives the verse a different feel.

• If the Holy Spirit was fully given in 20:22 as some believe, the results are disappointing. Little spiritual change appears to occur as the disciples are still meeting behind locked doors in fear (20:26; cf. 20:19), they are found in their old employment (21:1-3) playing their old comparison games (21:20-22). Furthermore, Jesus still needs to restore Peter from his sin of denial (21:15-19) and Thomas’ faith is predicated on his sight, not the internal witness of the Spirit (20:29). This is a far cry from the events recorded in Acts after the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost which includes, by contrast, suffering for Christ (5:41), great boldness (4:13, 31) and unceasing proclamation of the Gospel (5:42).

• Many believe the preceding verse (20:21) is also looking forward to Pentecost. In the same way that the Holy Spirit was promised in 20:22 but really came at Pentecost did Christ’s sending out His disciples to preach the Gospel get promised in 20:21, but actually fulfilled at Pentecost as well (see Ac. 1:4, 8).

• By the time of John’s writing, Acts 2 would have been well known to his readers. Thus the symbolism in 20:22 is fulfilled in a crucial event that the people were well aware.

• The arrival of the Holy Spirit was predicated upon Christ’s return to the Father. "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (Jn. 16:7). At this point in His ministry, Jesus had yet to "go away," return to the Father by way of the Ascension.

• The arrival of the Holy Spirit was predicated upon Christ’s glorification. "But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (Jn. 7:39). The completion of Christ’s earthly work, the Ascension (which had yet to occur) was on Jesus’ mind when He prayed in John 17 (verses 1-5, 24) to regain the glory He had with the Father before the world began.

• In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus told His disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit (cf. Jn. 14:6). If the promise was fulfilled in John 20:22, there would be nothing for them to wait for. Furthermore, there is no evidence (anywhere in the Bible) of the disciples asking for or seeking the Holy Spirit (contrary to many today). There was nothing they could do to cause this event to occur. They simply were passive awaiting the sovereign fulfillment of God’s promise.

• The context of verse 22 is evangelism. Verse 21 clearly states the commission. "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." Verse 23 refers to the authority the evangelist possesses in regard to those who accept or reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." Following is John’s purpose for writing, also evangelistic. "These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jn. 20:31). When this theme of evangelism is considered, the symbolic promise of the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 ties in well with Christ’s own promise in Acts 1:8 in reference to Pentecost. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." In other words, 20:22 speaks of the "equipment" necessary to fulfill the Great Commission.

• There is a good probability that John uses the symbolism in chapter 20 to show his reader that the story does not end with his book.

Scholarly Support:

• "Jesus’ ‘exhalation’ and command ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ are best understood as a kind of acted parable pointing forward to the full enduement still to come (though in the past for John’s readers)" (D.A. Carson, John, p. 655).

• "When Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ it probably was an acted-out prophecy of what would happen to them at Pentecost" (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 769). "What shall we say about the phrase "baptism of the Holy Spirit?"…It happened at Pentecost for the disciples, but it happened at conversion for the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:13) and for us. It is not a phrase the New Testament authors would use to speak of any post-conversion experience of empowering by the Holy Spirit" (ibid. p. 773). "It seems therefore that there are no New Testament texts that encourage us to seek for a second experience of ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’ that comes after conversion" (ibid. p. 775).

• The normal pattern since the time of the Apostles has been that Christians receive the Holy Spirit along with regeneration. It is not necessary for believers to seek a specific second work of Spirit baptism following conversion" (R.C. Sproul. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, p. 118).

• "What Jesus said in John 20:22 was simply a promise of the Holy Spirit; the disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit at that moment…The statement was a pledge…that would be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost" (John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p. 215, 214).

Conclusion:

• Based on the exegetical evidence, I believe the reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 is symbolic and finds its fulfillment in Acts 2 at Pentecost.

• Both John 20:22 and Acts 2 are unique events in church history and are not repeated.

• Believers now receive the Holy Spirit (a ‘one-time’ event) the moment they repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ for salvation.

• All believers have and are equally indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13). However, when they yield to Christ and walk in the Spirit, they do experience a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).