In John 20:22 the risen Messiah breathed on his disciples saying, Receive the Holy Spirit. Did you ever wonder why he breathed on them?

The answer is to be found in the creation narrative. God made man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7).  Man, as you know, was created in the image of God (Gen 1:26) but, through the fall, that image has become tarnished by sin.

Jesus replayed the creation with his disciples who had become new creations in him (2 Cor 5:17). They, through the new birth were being [re]conformed to the image of God in Christ (Rom 8:29).

When you and I put our faith in Christ, he breathed his Spirit into us. The penalty for sin was removed and the power of sin in our lives is being overcome by the Spirit. We are being conformed to the image of Christ, a process that will be completed at his return or when we go to glory.

Baruch haShem