And into that hiding place he comes with Peace. And like the mighty wind that swept over the waters of creation, and the breath that God blew into the nostrils of the clay being God had made from the earth, Jesus now breathes on his disciples. He breathes on them. It's a breath that draws them out of their self-absorption and forms them into a community of apostles. It's an amazing image.
Lovers can feel one another's breath on their necks when they dance.
Children smile with delight if we blow ever so gently on their eyelids. And that's what Jesus does. He breathes the very Breath of God into their fearful spirits. From now on, every breath they take will be his breath, filled with his risen life. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.