John 20: 19 那日（就是七日的第一日）晚上，门徒因怕犹太人，所在的地方
门都关了。耶稣来，站在当中，对他们说：“愿你们平安！” 20 说了这话，他
把手和肋旁给他们看。门徒一看见主就喜乐了。 21 于是耶稣又对他们说：“
愿你们平安！父怎样差遣了我，我也照样差遣你们。” 22 说了这话，他向他
们吹一口气，说：“领受圣灵吧！ 23 你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就得赦免；你
们不赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就不得赦免。”
24 那十二使徒中，有个叫低土马的多马，耶稣来的时候，他没有和他们在一
起。 25 其他的门徒就对他说：“我们已经看见主了。”多马却对他们说：“除非
我看见他手上的钉痕，用我的指头探入那钉痕，用我的手探入他的肋旁，
我绝不信。”
26 过了八日，门徒又在屋里，多马也和他们在一起。门都关了，耶稣来，站
在当中，说：“愿你们平安！” 27 然后他对多马说：“把你的指头伸到这里来，
看看我的手；把你的手伸过来，探入我的肋旁。不要疑惑，总要信！” 28 多
马回答，对他说：“我的主！我的 神！” 29 耶稣对他说：“你因为看见了我才
信吗？那没有看见却信的有福了。”
30 耶稣在他门徒面前另外行了许多神迹，没有记录在这书上。 31 但记载这些
事是要使你们信耶稣是基督，是 神的儿子，并且使你们信他，好因着他
的名得生命。
引言：一个充满诈骗的世界，以及被差遣的重要性
你是否曾经收到过一条看起来很官方的消息——可能是银行、快递服务，
甚至是政府机构发来的——但后来才发现其实是个骗局？今天的诈骗者非
常狡猾，他们使用熟悉的标志、逼真的邮件，甚至是你的个人信息。但无
论看起来多么真实，如果不是来自真正有权柄的发件人，那就是假的。
在一个充满假象的世界中，我们学会了问：“我怎么知道这是真的？”“我可
以相信吗？”换句话说：“一个人真正被差遣，有什么凭据？”
这个问题正是《约翰福音》的核心。整本福音书中，“差遣”一词出现了五
十多次。约翰不断强调：耶稣是被父所差的；而那些被差的人，也会被质
疑，也必须有凭据。如今，在约翰福音20章21节，耶稣对门徒说：“父怎样
差遣了我，我也照样差遣你们。”但如果他们是被差遣的，他们的凭据是什
么？人们怎么知道他们真的是代表耶稣的，也间接是代表神的？
让我们一同来探讨“被差遣”意味着什么，以及今天我们作为主的门徒，如
何被“认证”为祂真正的代表。
一、什么是“被差遣”？
在《约翰福音》中，“被差遣”从来不是随意的，而是肩负着从神而来的使
命。耶稣多次强调，祂不是凭自己而来，而是奉父的差遣，为要完成那差
祂来者的旨意。以下几段经文展示了这份差遣的庄严与深意：
约3:28–34：施洗约翰称自己是“奉差遣在主前”的，而耶稣是“从天而
来”，所说的就是真神的话，因为神赐圣灵给祂，是没有限量的。
约4:34–38：耶稣说：“我的食物就是遵行差我来者的旨意，作成他的
工。”
约6:29–57：耶稣反复说自己是“天上来的生命之粮”，是父所差来的，
为要赐人生命。
约7:16–33：耶稣说：“我的教训不是我自己的，乃是那差我来者的。”
祂认识父，因祂是从父那里来的。
约12:44–49：信耶稣的，就是信差祂来的父；祂所说的话，正是父命
令祂说的。
约13:16–20：人接待耶稣所差遣的人，就是接待耶稣，也就是接待差
耶稣来的父。
约20:21：复活的耶稣对门徒说：“父怎样差遣了我，我也照样差遣你
们。”
这里的“被差遣”，就如同古代朝廷中奉皇命而出行的“钦差大臣”——他所说
的话、所做的决定，带着皇帝的权柄，不容置疑。若他手中再持有“尚方宝
剑”，那更是一种无上的权威——可以“先斩后奏”，因为他代表的是天子的旨
意。
耶稣就是那位从天上奉差而来的“钦差”，祂带着父神的“尚方宝剑”——也就
是圣灵与真理，来成就神在地上的工作。而当祂对门徒说：“我也照样差遣
你们”，祂就是在把这份来自天上的使命、权柄和托付传递下去。
所以，“被差遣”不是一种身份装饰，而是一种带着使命与权柄的呼召。正
如耶稣在地上不是为自己行事，而是完成天父的旨意；同样，门徒也不是
凭自己的热情或想法而行，而是带着神的托付、耶稣的教训、圣灵的能力
，继续在世上传扬神的国。耶稣对他们说： 23 你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就得
赦免；你们不赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就不得赦免。
简而言之，“被差遣”就意味着：奉神的名，代表神的心，完成神的事。就
如钦差执行圣命，我们今日也要带着属天的权柄，继续主的使命。
二、什么是“认证”？
“认证”意味着验证、印证、确据——让人知道这个人是真实的，而不是冒充
的。耶稣的“认证”来自于祂的作为、祂与父神的合一，以及祂从死里复活
的事实。以下几段经文进一步印证这一点：
约5:23–40：耶稣所行的工见证祂是被差来的；圣经和施洗约翰也为祂
作见证。
约8:16–42：耶稣的判断是真实的，因为祂与差祂来的父同在。祂所说
的，是从父那里听来的；属神的人就听神的话。
约17:3–8：耶稣在祷告中说：“认识你独一的真神，并且认识你所差来
的耶稣基督，这就是永生。”门徒已领受祂的话语，相信祂是从神那里
出来的。
约17:21–25：耶稣祷告门徒合而为一，使世人可以因着他们的合一相
信：父确实差祂而来。这种合一的生命，也是认证的见证。
约翰福音5章36节中，36 但我有比约翰更大的见证：父交给我去完成的工
作，就是我正在做的，为我作证是父差遣了我。
在中文里，我们有一句古训：“听其言而观其行。”一个人讲得再动听，如
果他的行为不能配合，那他的话就会失去分量。而一个真实可信的人，不
只是说得对，更是做得对，说到做到，言行一致。
耶稣正是这样。祂不只是讲关于天国的道理，更是活出了天国的样式。祂
说祂是从父那里来的，祂就行出与父一致的工；祂说祂要舍命赎罪，祂真
的走上十字架；祂说祂会复活，第三天祂真的从死里复活。这些“言与行”
的一致，是祂被认证为神所差遣者最有力的证据。
接下来，我们看到多马的故事。他常被称为“疑惑的多马”，因为在耶稣第一
次向门徒显现时他不在场。当门徒们告诉他说“我们看见主了”，他却回应说
：“除非我看见祂手上的钉痕……我总不信。”
耶稣并没有责备他，反而再次显现，专程为他而来，温柔地邀请他“来看、
来摸、来信”。多马于是作出《约翰福音》中最强烈的信仰告白：“我的主
，我的神！”
为什么这个故事这么重要？因为多马不是多疑，任性，或固执。他是十二使
徒之一，也就是将来教会见证的根基之一。若要为复活的主作见证，他必
须像其他的使徒一样，亲眼看见、亲身经历。耶稣的钉痕并没有对他隐藏
，而是作为祂死而复活的印记展现出来。这些不是失败的痕迹，而是得胜
的记号。
多马的触摸和认证，不只是为他个人而设，更是为所有后来的信徒提供了
一个“被认证过的见证”。未来的教会要建立在这些亲眼见过、亲手摸过、
真实经历复活主的人的见证之上。因为他们的言行一致，信仰有据，才让
我们的信心有根有基。
三、我们因见证人的信而信，且靠圣灵得认证
我们的信仰不是建立在模糊的感觉或盲目的希望之上，而是建立在真实见
证人的基础上。我们相信，是因为他们曾经看见、摸到、相信——他们为
我们留下见证。
约翰福音告诉我们，这些记载“是要叫你们信耶稣是基督，是神的儿子，并
且叫你们因信他得生命。”
因此，在约20:22中，耶稣向门徒吹气，说：“你们受圣灵。”这个动作呼应
了创世记中的造人，也像以西结书中枯骨复活的异象。圣灵不仅仅是象征
赐予生命的新创造，更是差遣者跟被差者合一的印记。
门徒不是单独被差遣。他们因圣灵与基督联合，正如耶稣是带着父的能力
被差来的，门徒现在是带着圣灵的能力和同在被差遣。
圣灵成为门徒权柄与真实性的根基。他们不是只是传讲信息的人，而是与
复活主相遇，并被祂的气息充满的人。
四、我们被差遣，也靠生命见证得认证
像门徒一样，我们今天也被差遣。耶稣接着说：“那没有看见就信的有福了
。”这指的就是我们。我们因着门徒的真实见证而信，并因此也被差遣。
被差遣不仅是早期使徒的使命，也是每一个基督徒的呼召。我们也要去到
神所差我们去的地方——学校、家庭、职场、社区——带着平安、使命和圣
灵的能力。
我们不是被动的信徒，而是积极参与神的宣教计划。我们不是躲在门后的
人，而是走出去，把复活主的福音带给还未看见的人。
但在这个怀疑的时代，我们的认证不靠言语，而靠生命。
我们的生命是否反映出基督的性情？
我们是否谦卑地服事、乐意饶恕？
我们是否在爱中合一？
耶稣说：“你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了
。”（约13:35）
我们的爱，就是我们的认证。圣灵住在我们里面。我们不只是传信者，我
们就是那信息本身。我们的生命在说：“耶稣真的活着。”
你们的生命，是人们将遇见的福音。因此，我们的生命就是见证。我们在
说：“让我向你证明，耶稣真的复活了。”这正是基督徒生命的本质。
因为耶稣活着：
我们活在真理中，无惧无畏；
我们遵行祂的命令，去爱和服事；
我们饶恕，因为圣灵是赦免的灵；
我们成为神继续在世上作为的见证。
弟兄姐妹们，你们不仅是被差遣的人，你们本身就是证据。
首先，这新生命是以耶稣所成就的为起点。他已经得胜，复活验证了祂的
身份。我们不再寻找真理，我们是站在真理上见证主。
其次，这生命是一种“被差遣”的生命。耶稣不是单单给我们生命，而是
说：“我也照样差遣你们。”我们的生命要与耶稣一样——顺服、依靠、
谦卑、带着使命。
第三，这使命会引发回应：或接受、或拒绝。约20:23中说：“你们赦免谁的
罪，谁的罪就赦免了……”这不是我们有权审判，而是指出：我们的生命
，是耶稣的见证，而人们如何回应这个见证，将影响他们是否与神和好。
结语
门徒原本锁在屋里，充满惧怕与不确定。但耶稣来了，赐他们平安，显明
钉痕，吹气赐圣灵，并差遣他们出去。
他们并不完美，但他们被认证——靠着主的同在、圣灵的能力、以及他们
忠心的生命。
正因他们被差遣，我们今天才得以相信。
今天，耶稣依然向我们显现，在我们的疑虑与惧怕中说：“愿你们平安。”
祂依然向我们吹气、赐下圣灵，并说：“我也照样差遣你们。”
让我们成为一个充满圣灵、敬拜的群体，让耶稣在我们中间被看见——不
仅仅在理论中，更在真实的生活中。这不是幻想，而是我们的身份。既然
我们拥有耶稣的气息，就让我们完成祂交付的使命。让我们的生命宣告：“
耶稣活着！”
Introduction: A World of Scammers and the Importance of Being Sent
Have you ever received a message that looked official—maybe from your bank,
a delivery service, or even a government agency—only to realize it was a scam?
Scammers today are clever. They use familiar logos, convincing emails, and even
your personal details. But no matter how real it looks, it’s all fake unless it
comes from a real sender with real authority.
In a world where fakes are everywhere, we’ve learned to ask: “How do I know
this is real?” “Can I trust this?” In other words: “What proves someone is truly
and officially sent?”
This same question lies at the heart of the Gospel of John. The word “sent”
appears over 50 times. John shows us that Jesus was sent by the Father, and
that those who are sent must also be authenticated. And now, in John 20:21,
Jesus says to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” But if
they are sent, how will they be authenticated? How will people know they
represent Jesus?
Let’s explore what it means to be “sent” and how we are “authenticated” as His
followers today.
What Is the Meaning of Someone Who Is Sent?
Throughout the Gospel of John, being “sent” is never casual. It carries the
weight of a mission from God Himself. Consider these verses:
John 3:28–34 – John the Baptist describes himself as one “sent ahead” to
prepare the way, while affirming that Jesus speaks the words of God
because He is sent from above.
John 4:34–38 – Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me
and to finish his work.”
John 6:29–57 – Jesus repeatedly speaks of being sent to give life to the
world. “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he has sent.”
He is the bread of life sent by the Father.
John 7:16–33 – Jesus teaches that his teaching is not his own but comes
from the one who sent him. He knows the Father and was truly sent by
Him.
John 12:44–49 – To believe in Jesus is to believe in the one who sent him.
He speaks what the Father commands.
John 13:16–20 – Whoever receives the one Jesus sends receives Jesus, and
whoever receives Jesus receives the one who sent him.
John 20:21 – Now Jesus commissions his disciples: “As the Father has sent
me, I am sending you.”
Jesus is the one sent by the Father. His mission on earth wasn’t just to heal and
teach, but to reveal the Father and accomplish his saving work. “The Father and
I are one,” he says in John 10:30.
So when Jesus now says, “I am sending you,” he is placing the disciples into the
very pattern of his own life. Just as he was sent with purpose, with the presence
of the Father, and with power from on high, so too the disciples are now being
sent—not in their own strength, but in the same mission and authority of Christ.
To summarize: To be sent means to act with divine authority and purpose—to
speak God’s words, to embody God’s truth, and to continue the mission of
Jesus.
What Does It Mean to Be Authenticated?
Jesus was authenticated by His works, by His unity with the Father, and
ultimately by His resurrection. In John 5:36, He says, “The works the Father has
given me to finish… testify that the Father has sent me.”
Authentication means validation—being recognized as genuine, not counterfeit.
Jesus didn’t just come with words—He came with actions that aligned perfectly
with God’s will.
These verses help us understand what authentication looks like:
John 5:23–40 – Jesus is doing the very works the Father gave Him to do,
and these works testify that He has been sent. Scripture and John the
Baptist also bear witness to Him.
John 8:16–42 – Jesus says His judgment is true because He stands with the
Father who sent Him. He speaks what He hears from the Father, and those
who belong to God hear Him.
John 17:3–8 – Jesus, in prayer, affirms that eternal life is knowing the only
true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. The disciples now know and
believe that Jesus was sent by God.
John 17:21–25 – Jesus prays for unity among His followers so that the
world may believe that the Father has sent Him. This unity and love are
part of the authentication.
This brings us to the story of Thomas. Often called “Doubting Thomas,” he
wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared. And when the others tell him, “We
have seen the Lord,” Thomas says, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and
put my finger where the nails were… I will not believe.”
Rather than scold Thomas, Jesus graciously comes again—this time, specifically
for Thomas. He invites Thomas to see, to touch, and to believe. And Thomas
responds with one of the most powerful confessions in the Gospel: “My Lord
and my God!”
But why is this story so important? Because Thomas is not just being difficult.
He is, like the others, a key witness. He is one of the Twelve. The foundation of
the church will be built upon the testimony of these apostles. And if Thomas is
to bear witness to the resurrected Christ, he must actually see him.
Jesus’ scars are not hidden; they are shown. They are proof—not only that he
died, but that he lives again. These wounds are the marks of victory, not defeat.
And Thomas’ seeing and touching affirms what future believers must trust: that
Jesus really did rise, bodily and gloriously, from the dead.
In this, Thomas moves from doubt to bold witness. His authentication as one
sent rests on his personal encounter with the risen Jesus. The church that would
be born would depend on such firsthand testimony—Thomas included.
Our faith is not built on vague feelings or blind hope. It is built on the testimony
of real witnesses—people like Thomas, who saw and touched and believed. We
believe, not because we see, but because we trust the words of those who did.
This is the pattern of mission. Jesus was sent by the Father. The disciples were
sent by Jesus. And we are blessed by their faithful witness. The Gospel of John
ends this chapter by reminding us that these things are written “that you may
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name.”
That’s why in John 20:22, Jesus breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the
Holy Spirit.” This breath—echoing the creation of life in Genesis and the revival
of dry bones in Ezekiel—is not just symbolic. It is real life-giving power. The
Spirit is both the source of their new life and the mark of their authentication.
It’s God’s seal that they are truly His, and that their mission is backed by
heaven.
This breathing is a symbolic and powerful gesture: the disciples are not being
sent alone. They are now united with Christ by the Spirit. Just as Jesus was sent
in the power and presence of the Father, now the disciples are sent in the
power and presence of the Spirit.
This union with Christ through the Spirit becomes the very foundation of their
authority and authenticity. They are not just people with a message. They are
people who have encountered the risen Christ and have been filled with his very
breath.
4. We Are Sent by Jesus, and Authenticated by How We Live
Like the apostles, we are now sent. And then Jesus blesses all future believers:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That’s us. We are
the ones who receive the authentic witness of the apostles—and by believing,
we too are sent.
To be sent, then, is not just for the original apostles. It’s the calling of every
follower of Christ. Like Jesus, we are to go where we are sent—to our schools,
our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods—with peace, with purpose,
and with power from the Spirit.
Being sent means we are not just passive believers. We are participants in God’s
mission to the world. We are not meant to stay behind locked doors in fear or
comfort. We are called to step out—to bring the message of the risen Jesus to
those who have not seen, and yet may believe.
First, this new life begins with what Jesus has already accomplished. He has
overcome the world. The truth of his identity has been vindicated by his
resurrection. We are no longer searching for answers—we stand on a victorious
truth. Jesus is alive, and we now live in the peace and authority that comes from
that truth.
Second, this life is a sending. Jesus doesn’t just give them breath and say, “Live
well.” He says, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” This means their life now
takes on the same shape as Jesus’ life—one of obedience, dependence,
humility, and mission. Their life is not aimless—it is commissioned.
Third, this mission leads to a response: forgiveness or rejection. In verse 23,
Jesus says, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive
them, they are not forgiven.” That’s not giving us the right to play judge—but it
does highlight what’s at stake. The life we’ve received is a life that bears witness
to Jesus. And how people respond to that witness—acceptance or
rejection—leads to either reconciliation or continued separation from God.
So when we say our lives are a witness, we are saying, “Let me show you Jesus is
alive.” That’s the essence of Christian living. We are walking, breathing
testimonies to the resurrection.
Because Jesus is alive:
We live without fear, knowing the truth;
We obey his command to love and serve;
We forgive, because the Spirit who unites us is forgiving;
We live as signs of God’s ongoing work in the world.
You, brothers and sisters, are not just sent—you are evidence. You are the
gospel that people will encounter.
But in today’s skeptical world, our authentication doesn’t come from words
alone—it comes from the life we live.
Do we reflect the character of Jesus?
Do we serve humbly and forgive freely?
Are we united in love?
Jesus said, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one
another” (John 13:35). Our love is our authentication. The Spirit lives in us. We
are not just messengers—we are the message. Our lives say: “Jesus is alive.”
Conclusion
The disciples started behind locked doors, uncertain and afraid. But Jesus came,
gave them peace, showed them his scars, breathed on them the Spirit, and sent
them out.
They weren’t perfect. But they were authenticated—by the presence of Christ,
by the power of the Spirit, and by the lives they lived as faithful witnesses.
And because they were sent, we now believe.
Jesus still comes to us today, through our doubts and fears. He still says, “Peace
be with you.” He still breathes his Spirit on us. And he still says, “As the Father
has sent me, I am sending you.”
Let us be the kind of Spirit-filled, worshipping community that makes Jesus
visible. Not in theory, but in truth. This isn’t wishful thinking—it’s the reality of
who we are. Since the breath of Jesus is in us, let us fulfill our mission. Let our
lives proclaim: “Jesus is alive.”
