The Evening Of The Resurrection Day, John 20:19–23.

Church History:19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Luke explains to us in Luke 24:29, that it was towards evening, and the day was far spent; the Jews called the afternoon evening, as well as the time after sunset; and John tells us expressly, it was yet the first day of the week. This appearance is unquestionably the same mentioned in Luke, Luke 24:36. For it is said, the two disciples went immediately to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven gathered together, and told of the Lord's appearance to them; and while they spoke, Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, “Peace be unto you”. The disciples had shut the doors of the place where they met, for fear of the Jews. Here is a great question between the Lutherans and Calvinists, how Christ came in amongst them when the doors were shut? Whether he went through the doors remaining shut? Which the Lutherans stiffly maintain, as a strong proof of the possibility of the real presence of the body of Christ in, with, or under the elements of the Lord's supper; though we object, that this is to destroy the nature of Christ's body, and to assign him a body which indeed is no body, being not obvious to the sense, nor confined to a place; and which must pierce another body, which is contrary to the nature of a body according to our notion of bodies.

The Lutherans object:
1. That here is a plain mention of the doors being shut.
2. No mention of the opening of them.
3. Nor of Christ's entrance upon opening any doors, windows, roof, or by any ordinary way, as men use to enter into houses.
4. Nor, had he so entered, would there have been any reason for the disciples taking him for a spirit, as it is plain they did, Luke 24:37.

The Calvinists on the other side object,
1. That it is not said that he went through the doors.
2. That if he had gone through the doors, he would not presently have called to them to have seen him, and handled him; by which he showed that his body had such dimensions as our bodies have, and so could not go through a door shut.
In the Lutherans' reasoning, the fourth is only considerable, the first three first have no force, because all circumstances of actions are not recorded in holy scripture. Nor is there much force in the fourth, for the doors by his miraculous power opened and shut, and he showed himself in the midst of them, and used to them the usual salutation amongst the Jews, Peace be unto you.3
He showed them his hands and his side; Luke adds his feet too; those parts of his body where were the most undeniable marks of the death he had suffered upon the cross. Then to the disciples, who gave little credit to what Mary Magdalene, and the other woman, and the two disciples going to Emmaus, had reported, believed; seeing the Lord, and being exceeding glad
at this confirmation of their faith.3
“Peace be unto you:” The repeating of this salutation speaks of more than an ordinary compliment, or form of salutation. It signified his reconciliation to them, notwithstanding their error in forsaking him, and fleeing; it prepared their attention for the great things that he was now about to speak to them; it also signified, that he was about to preach the gospel of peace to all nations.
“As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” I have now fulfilled my ministry, and am now going to my Father who sent me: now by the same authority that I am sent, I send you, to gather, instruct, and govern my church; I send, or I will send, you clothed with the same authority with which I am clothed, and for the same ends in part for which I was sent.3
“He breathed on them.” It was customary for the prophets to use some significant act to represent the nature of their message. See Jeremiah chapters 13 and 18, etc. In this case the act of breathing was used to represent the nature of the influence that would come upon them, and the source of that influence. When man was created, God breathed into him the breath of life, Genesis 2:7. The word rendered spirit in the Scriptures denotes wind, air, breath, as well as Spirit. Hence the operations of the Holy Spirit are compared to the wind, John 3:8; Acts 2:2.
“Receive the Holy Ghost.” His breathing on them was a certain sign or pledge that they would be endowed with the influences of the Holy Spirit