Breath tells you a lot about a person.
First, it comes in two varieties: Good and bad.
Everybody has their own standard as to what makes it into good, and what is sure enough
bad, but few people would dispute the fact there is good and bad breath.
This is an American preoccupation, good breath.
Millions of dollars a year are spent on obtaining good breath.
There is one particular commercial that always makes me say hmmm.
The one where everyone is riding on the tight subway train. And there is a big burly
looking man on the train. As the train, or maybe it is a bus, is pulling up to its
destination, a woman goes up to him, a person normally she probably would run away from,
and says, "Love Your Breath."
I don't think in my life, and now it is starting to span a few years, that I have been up
in any body's face, and smelled something that so affected me, that I had to take a moment
to say, "Love Your Breath."
If I had been a disciple however, it might just have had that breath loving experience.
It was a week after the crucifixion and all was not well among the disciples, as we read
in our scripture for the day.
They are still mourning the loss of Jesus. And just to compound matters, they
are fearful of what the Jews may do to them. They watched Jesus be killed and they
figure, if they killed Jesus, who meant so much to so many, what would they do if they
could get their hands on peons like us.
So they met in the upper room but behind closed doors. They did not want to be
caught and hurt.
And suddenly, there was Jesus in their midst.
He had entered the room, despite the fact it was sealed off. Should not have been
too much of a surprise to the disciples for he exited a grave even though it was sealed
up.
They were shocked, startled, probably scared but Jesus calmed them down by saying Peace be
with you.. A sign he had not intention of hurting them... A friendly greeting of
warmth and friendship. When he noticed they still were a little rattled, he utter
the phrase again, Peace Be With You.
It took them a while to fully realize, this was indeed Jesus. The fact he still bore
the impressions of the wounds from his crucifixion was the selling point for most of them
I am sure. You can not fake nail holes in your hand and a piercing in your side.
But all of the disciples were not present when this reunion occurred. Thomas was not
around.
They told Thomas about Jesus' appearance, but Thomas not seeing his Savior face to face.
Not witnessing the wounds that he bore for our transgressions, said he only would
believe that Jesus had returned when he saw Jesus for himself.
A little later, the disciples again gather in the upper room. The doors again were
locked. Thomas still was muttering his doubts as to whether Jesus rose from the
grave, when Jesus again appeared to the disciples. He instructed Thomas to test the
wounds to see if they were real, but just the presence of Jesus was enough to
convince Thomas. He believe and Jesus said blessed are those who believe and have
not seen.
He was speaking to us, generations of Christians who have come to believe on
Jesus Christ, although unlike the disciples they have not seen the risen Savior.
By now, you know that my mind sometimes gets caught up on little details in the scripture
that have major impacts on lives.
The detail I noticed was that Jesus breathed on the disciples and when he did, he endowed
them with the Holy Spirit.
Breath is a funny thing. Not only can you smell it, but you also can feel it.
Even if your eyes are closed, you can tell if someone is close to you. You can feel
them breathing on you. You can feel the moist breeze that breath imparts on your
face. They off course there also is the flavoring...You know if someone had
garlic or onion with their meal.
But you do not have to see the person breathing to feel their breath to smell their
breath.
The disciples did not report in any of the gospels the condition of the resurrected Jesus'
breath. But just the fact that they took the time to mention he breathed on them,
meant they felt it.
Now, they had seen the risen savior AND, they had felt him breath on them. All of
their senses had been touched, sight, touch and more than likely smell.
Jesus needed to breath on his disciples. He was going to ascend to the Father.. He
had promised the would leave the Holy Spirit behind to serve to further their education in
God and to guide them. With that breath, Jesus passed the Holy Spirit on.
And at that time, when He met with his disciples, He charged them not to hide behind close
doors but be prepared now to take their ministry to the people. He told them to
forgive sins, essentially bring people to repentance.
Since God allows us to have imaginations, I always have imagined that it would be a sweet
sweet breeze when Jesus breaths upon you, or as commericals would descibe it, minty fresh
breath. Clean and powerful.
For although we were not in the upper room with the disciples. Although we have not
seen his wounds.
Unlike Thomas, we may never have the opportunity or occasion to place our fingers in the
holes left by the nails.
But Jesus does interact on each and everyone of us that accepts him as their Lord and
Savior. He breaths on us as he did on his disciples. He endows us with the
Holy Spirit to guide us and to order our steps in the Lord.
He redeems us with his blood and empowers us with his breath of Holy Spirit.
That is the reason when they sing that song, "He Touched Me," it is
as real today and it would have been back in the days of the Disciples.
He still does touch us today. Jesus breathes a newness of life into us. He
lets his sweet breath be the conduit to bring the Holy Spirit into our lives.
Have you felt the breath of Jesus upon you.
When you had your conversion experience. Did you smell a sweetness in your presence.
Did you feel a warm soft breeze settle upon you? Did you notice the presence
of your savior, loving near. Did you know, that the breath of the Lord had fallen
down upon you.
Jesus still breaths upon us. He keeps the Holy Spirit fresh within us. When
you are aching in your heart, troubled in your soul, call upon the matchless name of
Jesus Christ. Then close your eyes for just a few seconds, and if you do not
feel, call for it, say Breath on Me Lord...
Let the empowerment of your Holy breath fall upon me. Then see if you can feel
it touch you. See if you can feel it affect you. See if you can feel it blow
across you.
The breath of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only breath I could ever be
moved to say, "I love Your Breath. Breath some more on me Lord."
