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19 On the evening of that first day of the week,(A) when the doors were locked, where the disciples[a] were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.[b] The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.(B) 21 [c][Jesus] said to them again,(C) “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 [d]And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,(D) “Receive the holy Spirit. 23 [e](E)Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

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Footnotes

  1. 20:19 The disciples: by implication from Jn 20:24 this means ten of the Twelve, presumably in Jerusalem. Peace be with you: although this could be an ordinary greeting, John intends here to echo Jn 14:27. The theme of rejoicing in Jn 20:20 echoes Jn 16:22.
  2. 20:20 Hands and…side: Lk 24:39–40 mentions “hands and feet,” based on Ps 22:17.
  3. 20:21 By means of this sending, the Eleven were made apostles, that is, “those sent” (cf. Jn 17:18), though John does not use the noun in reference to them (see note on Jn 13:16). A solemn mission or “sending” is also the subject of the post-resurrection appearances to the Eleven in Mt 28:19; Lk 24:47; Mk 16:15.
  4. 20:22 This action recalls Gn 2:7, where God breathed on the first man and gave him life; just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the disciples’ new spiritual life comes from Jesus. Cf. also the revivification of the dry bones in Ez 37. This is the author’s version of Pentecost. Cf. also the note on Jn 19:30.
  5. 20:23 The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of penance. See Mt 16:19; 18:18.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

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Jesus Appears to His Disciples(A)

19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 (B)If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

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Jesus among His Disciples

19 Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were [a]shut where the disciples were together due to (A)fear of the [b]Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and *said to them, (B)Peace be to you.” 20 And when He had said this, (C)He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then (D)rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, (E)Peace be to you; (F)just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 (G)If you forgive the sins of any, their sins [c]have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 20:19 Or locked
  2. John 20:19 I.e., the Jewish leaders
  3. John 20:23 I.e., have previously been forgiven

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,(A) Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace(B) be with you!”(C) 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.(D) The disciples were overjoyed(E) when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!(F) As the Father has sent me,(G) I am sending you.”(H) 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.(I) 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”(J)

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