9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved;h with you I am well pleased."
[Mark 1.9-11, NRSV]
The dove is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit of God in its
purity and in its ministry of peace.
There are lots of occasions where doves are sold and
sacrificed (they get a bit of a raw deal in the Bible). But do you know the
other two times where a dove makes a special appearance in the Bible?The first time we see a dove in Scripture is in Genesis 8:6–11. Noah sent out two birds, a raven and a dove; but only the dove came back. The raven represented the flesh; there was plenty for the raven to eat outside the ark! But the dove would not defile itself on the carcasses, so it came back to the ark. The second time the dove was released, it returned with an olive leaf, a symbol of peace. The third time, the dove did not return.
The second occasion where a dove makes an appearance is when
Jesus sends out His disciples. He says “See,
I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as
serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matt 10.16).
He’s warning them that they are going to have a tough time. But
importantly for us, the dove represents innocence
Final question, there’s another famous person in the Bible
whose name means dove. Do you know who
it is?
The name Jonah means “dove,” and he experienced a baptism as
well. If spending three days in a fish counts as a baptism! Jonah was sent to
Nineveh – a hated race – and his prophecies convinced the Ninevites to turn to
God and repent.
Three times we see doves connected to sending out: Noah
sending a dove out to check that everything is safe; Jesus sending his
disciples out; and Jonah being sent out to Nineveh.
We’ve been sent out too, we’ve been told to go out of this
church and bring people to Jesus, and the good news is that the Holy Spirit is
with us, whether or not we see a dove.
