John 20:23 Meaning: Forgive and Retain Sins, What Jesus Meant

Two Greek verbs carry the weight of this verse. The first is aphiemi, which Jesus uses twice: once for what the disciples do (“you forgive”) and once for what has already happened in heaven (“they have been forgiven”). The word means to send away, to release, to let go. It is the same word used when Jesus tells the paralytic his sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). The second verb is krateo, for “retain.” It means to hold fast, to grasp, to keep in one’s grip. Jesus is not giving his disciples the power to personally grant or withhold forgiveness. Look at the Greek tenses. “They have been forgiven” and “they have been retained” are in the perfect tense, a completed action with ongoing results. The disciples are called to declare what God has already decided, based on the response of the person to the gospel. Their authority is not to invent, but to announce. The word “sins” (hamartia) means missing the mark, falling short of God’s design. So the commission is this: by the Spirit’s guidance, the church is to tell people when their aim is realigned and when it is still off.

Christians across traditions read this verse differently. The Roman Catholic Church sees it as the institution of the sacrament of reconciliation, where priests act in the person of Christ to absolve sins. Eastern Orthodox Christians also practice confession before a priest, understanding this as a ministry of spiritual direction and the announcement of God’s forgiveness. Most Protestant and Evangelical traditions emphasize the declarative sense: the apostles and their successors have the authority to proclaim the terms of the gospel, that everyone who repents and believes in Jesus receives forgiveness, and those who do not remain in their sins. The Cambridge commentary notes that Jesus gave this power to the whole assembled group, not just the apostles, suggesting a broader community responsibility. What unites all these views is the conviction that God alone forgives sins, and that the church’s role is to faithfully mediate and announce that forgiveness.

A common misreading is that Jesus gave the apostles (and their successors) the power to personally forgive sins, as if they could override God’s judgment. In fact, the grammar shows the disciples are declaring what is already true in heaven. The text says “they have been forgiven”, a completed action. Jesus is entrusting his followers with the message of reconciliation, not with divine authority to absolve. The church’s job is to faithfully announce the terms of the gospel: forgiveness to the repentant believer, and the sobering reality that sins remain on the unrepentant.

This week, you might encounter someone weighed down by guilt who needs to hear that God’s forgiveness is real and available. You do not need a special office to speak that truth. You can look them in the eye and say, “If you turn to Jesus, your sins are forgiven, really.” That is not presumption; it is faithfulness to the commission. At the same time, you may face someone who is hardened and unwilling to repent. In love, you can gently tell them that holding onto sin means holding onto its consequences. Your job is not to judge, but to be a clear channel for God’s word. The same Spirit who empowered the first disciples is with you.