Spirit Like a Dove

“ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ”

A sign , an empowerment, the breaking through of a new way for us, a staggering disclosure and self-revelation: all these happened at the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the newly Baptized Jesus. Epiphany means shining forth, and our Triune God shone in wondrous clarity for a moment at the Jordan River.

John knew his role. He was not Messiah. He was not to be the central figure of his day, but only a herald . He came not to bring the kingdom of God, but to declare it before the One who was to come. His task was curious because he had no idea where the savior was, who He was, what He would look like. He may have worried whether or not he would recognize Him, but a Word from God had solved that for him. He heard a definite sign which would be given him: “Upon that man coming out of the water would descend the Spirit from on high, in the manner of a dove flying down, and it will land on Him. This is Messiah.”

How eager John was to finally see the One for whom his entire life had been a preparation. He had slept in the wild, eaten whatever came to hand, dressed in animal skins and gone barefoot for years. He had been given one ministry: to call Israel to repentance, and to administer God's forgiveness through a ritual washing in the river. He knew the scriptures he came in fulfillment of: the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God . Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it… O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:1-11

With longing John had watched the faces in the crowd for recognition. He knew some day he would see Him and know Him. “There is one among you who is preferred before me, because He was before me. I am not worthy even to untie His sandal. I baptize with water, but He comes to cleanse you with the Holy Spirit. He will cleanse Israel of all sin, even as a refining fire purges the dross from gold or the harsh bleach whitens linen. You had better cleanse yourselves now, before He arrives. Repent!” John's message grew in urgency as he searched the faces for the Messiah.

Then one day he knew Him. Jesus , his cousin, appeared at the water's edge and suddenly the thrill of realization took John. “Behold the Lamb of God, see the One who is come to take away the sins of the whole world!” John exclaimed. Jesus, coming down into the river, said : “Baptize me, John.” Unable to express all that he felt, John was only able to utter, “It is I who should be baptized by you.”

“Please permit this, for we will be accomplishing God's good will.”

John then lowered his cousin into the waters and, standing back, he watched as the sky seemed to open and glory beamed down upon Jesus' shining face. Within that glory, a gleaming object, much like a dove descending, filled with light, settled down upon the shoulders of the Savior. Now John was truly certain, as he heard a voice from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

From that day John's ministry began to dim. He had accomplished his assignment and shown the Messiah to Israel. He would be arrested, jailed, and beheaded soon thereafter, but Jesus would go on and the mission would be completed. The sign was given. The Spirit, like a dove, had descended on the One who was foretold. It was enough.

Jesus, in receiving this sign, was given something new. The Jews had used baptism for years as one of their rites of cleansing. Its spiritual meaning was derived from the sign itself; to wash in repentance was to seek God's forgiveness. But now this washing had an empowering new function, to be indwelt by the Spirit of God . In Christ this new sacrament had found a cleansing agent infinitely more powerful than water alone. John's prophecy was fulfilled. The Baptism of Jesus and His followers would be a cleansing of a life of sins and begin a Covenant with God the Holy Spirit who comes to live inside of us. Thus, we have a new way broken through the old sign of washing by Jesus in the Jordan.

And for one brief moment, we can picture this: God the Holy Trinity is disclosed to us as One and Three. Jesus breaks the surface of the water coming up from the river and the glory of the Holy Spirit descends upon Him; the Father's voice booms from heaven and declares that this is His Son. Father, Son and Holy Spirit : not the same Person but three distinct Persons. Not three gods, but One powerful God . Although the Old Testament had hinted at this in many ways, this unimaginable truth was now proclaimed for the entire world to know it. All four Gospel accounts recount the Theophany, the disclosure of God in three Persons at this moment like no other. God revealed Himself plainly at the outset of Jesus' brief of ministry.

And now are we the new shining forth of God's nature in this world. Every one of you has broken the surface of the water of Baptism, I must assume. At the moment of your cleansing, all sins of your former life were gone, washed away because your Savior made the way for you to be clean. But more, the Spirit of God has come to dwell inside your inner self. God said so. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Cor. 3:16-17

Jesus had promised this Spirit. At His Last Supper, He proclaimed that we would receive His Holy Spirit: “the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you… he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you… he shall testify of me… I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:12-14.

Ezekiel's vision of a valley filled with the dry bones of dead men was fulfilled in us through Baptism. For God told the prophet, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts… O my people, I will open your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And shall put my spirit in you , and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:11-14 Never had that been done until the Baptism of Jesus. And Jeremiah had heard from God, “Behold, the days come… that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel… After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and they shall be my people… for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

God opens the way. He declares Himself. He empowers us. Now it is ours to disclose, to enact upon our world and our own generation. What Jesus has done for us, we need to continue. We have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell us. What are we doing with the Gift? Any grace refused becomes a judgment. We each have a ministry, an act of service, a place in the Body of Christ in which we are to take our place, to serve, and add our gift to what the Body of Christ is to do. Anyone who refuses to give his or her gift to the Body is a parasite, an infection, an alien to this new creation . We are not aliens, but part of Him. Thus, St. Paul writes to the Roman Christians: “since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8 We have been given much, and much is required of us. Give praise to the God who has revealed Himself to you and made you a son. The life of the Holy Trinity is waiting to take you up in grace, as the Spirit descends like a dove.

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