Luke 3:21-22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
…the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.
How do you describe something to people with no frame of reference for it? Try describing snow to someone who has never seen it. It’s cold and wet, but it’s also delicate and beautiful. It’s like tiny pieces of lace that drift down from the sky. For those of us who are looking out the window at snow today, that description is a poor representation. It’s also the best I can come up with using limited human language and no physical frame of reference.
…the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.
What did it look like when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus during His baptism? It must have been a moment of transcendent beauty and awe. With no physical frame of reference to call on, and the limitations of human language, Luke described the moment as well as he could. It was “like a dove”.
As baptized Christians, we are called to bear the Light of Christ into the world. It would be very difficult to describe what that Light looks like to someone with no frame of reference, but I can live in such a way that I point it out when it manifests itself.
Prayer: Jesus Christ, Light of the World, help me follow the example of John the Baptist by always pointing to You. AMEN