It's such an everyday action - constant, even - that we hardly give it any thought.
From a biological standpoint, breathing is the process of inhaling and exhaling air, extracting from it oxygen and expelling the carbon-dioxide waste. But, like with everything, we can go deeper.
In case you couldn't tell, above is a depiction of John 20, which (hint hint) has something to do with the significance of breathing. For now, though, let's look at breath from an etymological standpoint.
The history of "breath" is the history of "spirit" - they are so intertwined that in many of the languages we derive English from, they are one and the same. It is at this point that a little deductive reasoning can give you a hint at what I'm getting at...
The English spirit comes from the Latin spiritus - breath. Even the Latin anima (soul) is derived from the Indo-European root for "to breathe". In Greek, "spirit" and "soul" are rendered pneuma and psyche - both derivatives of breath.
The connection between "spirit" and "breath" are not merely a European creation, though. It goes back to the Fertile Crescent, the cradle of civilization itself. Both Arabic (نفس and روح) and Hebrew (נְשָׁמָה and רוּחַ) recognize the connection between the act of breathing and the spirit. In Hebrew, the word רוּחַ is transliterated "ruah".
Even from the dawn of civilization, humanity has recognized that breathing and spirit are linked. It is spirit that separates a corpse from a living person, and the idea returns again and again throughout Scripture.
"The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). God creates man through breath. His breath, specifically. Later, after man sins, we find God "moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day" (Genesis 3:8).
If we recognize the spirit of God being contained in his breath (we'll see why we should in just a moment), then the second creation story becomes more than "recipe for a human" - it becomes God's gift of himself. You don't see Genesis saying "God created all the animals, which then lined up for air" - man is the only bit of creation God gives his breath to. That breath isn't just air - it is God.
Even the very name of God reflects this. In Exodus 3, Moses asks God "When I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' if they ask me, 'What is his name?' What am I to tell them?' God replied, 'I AM WHO I AM' and added 'This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you'" (Ex. 3:13-14).
Often, we pronounce the name Yahweh. This is produced by adding vowels (Usually those of the Hebrew substitute Adonai - Lord) to the original form YHWH (sometimes YHVH).
Out of curiosity, this is also where we get the word Jehovah. In the Latin alphabet, the Y is replaced with an I, which carries a J sound. So YHWH becomes JHVH. Add the vowels and we have Jehovah.
But, back to the original. YHWH. Even at this basic level, we find breathing. Try saying the names of the Hebrew letters. Yod. Heh. Ved. Heh. It sounds like breathing. Even the very name of God reflects his presence in every breath we take.
The last verse of the Psalms says "Let everything that has breath give praise to the Lord! Hallelujah!" (Psalm 150:6). In other words, "Let everything that contains God return to God"
Now, let's jump forward to the New Testament. Here's a selection of uses of the word pneuma, which is Greek for "breath" and "spirit".
"God is Spirit" -John 4:24
"Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him" - 1 Corinthians 6:17
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" - 2 Corinthians 3:17
"Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last" -Mark 15:37
Note: The crucifixion dialogue is almost identical between Matthew and Mark. Matthew renders that verse "But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit" -Matthew 27:50
Luke, being unable to choose, said "Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.' and when he had said this he breathed his last." -Luke 23: 46
John recounts Jesus appearing to the disciples after the Resurrection. It's worth quoting at length:
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.'
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." -John 20: 19-23
Jesus breathed on them. That was how he chose to pass on the spirit. Coincidentally, this passage is half of the scriptural basis for Holy Orders - when he breathed on them, he sent them out. He did not give them the spirit - the breath of God - just to sit there. He sent them to "baptize all nations" (Mt. 28:19)
So, here's the part where we say "Okay, that was all well and good two thousand years ago...what does all this have to do with me?" I'll tell you, impatient and somewhat-rude person! It has to do with you because we are today's disciples. The Bible is never just a story - every word is directed towards you, today.
You're still breathing, yes? We know from Genesis that the breath you are currently taking in and out is the breath of God. And, like Jesus taught in John, receiving the Spirit also means receiving the commission to use it. Yesterday I briefly mentioned the idea of "praying always" - perhaps this is a good way to do it. No matter where you are, you can always stop for a moment, listen to your breathing and hear that Yod Heh Ved Heh.
That breath plays the rhythm behind your entire life. The never-ending drum beat behind every day. God is that constant force moving within and without us, in and through us. Keeping us alive, sending us out into the world. We say "I love you" to people using words...using breath. Make sure your words spread God, not pain and suffering.
As always, become that beacon of love. Shine to the world. Live your life in such a way that nobody will ever have to ask if you are Christian. Grow closer to God until your last breath.
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