The Significance of the Holy Ghost's Descent in the Form of a Dove

Luke 3:21-22 “Now when all the people were baptised, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptised, and praying, the heaven was opened, Luke 3:22 “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

Now when all the people were “Baptized”: Christ was identifying Himself with sinners. He will ultimately bear their sins; His perfect righteousness will be imputed to them (2 Cor. 5:21). This act of baptism was a necessary part of the righteousness He secured for sinners. This does not mean that the whole countryside was baptized. It just means “all” of the people who “wanted” to be baptized. In other words Jesus didn’t come in and stop others so that He might be baptized first. The other gospels do not mention prayer at the baptism. It appears that Jesus was praying, and the heaven opened. “And praying”: Luke alone notes that Jesus was praying. Prayer is one of Luke’s themes.

We also see here for the first time the “Holy Ghost”, and all 3 persons of the Trinity are distinguishable in this verse, a strong proof against the heresy of modalism, which suggests that God is one Person who manifests Himself in 3 distinct modes, one at a time. Here we see “In a bodily shape”: I.e., physical and visible to all (Matt. 3:16; John 1:32).

“Like a dove”: A picture of gentleness (Matt. 10:16). when God speaks from heaven saying this is “My beloved Son”: “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Again, we see here God the Father speaking from heaven, God the Son being baptized, and God the Holy Ghost appearing as a dove. We should know and understand that God is a Spirit and can appear in any form He wants to. "For God is a Spirit and they that worship him, must do so in Spirit and in truth"

Throughout Scripture the Dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. We see at Jesus’ baptism the Godhead. The Father approved everything Jesus did. Those who heard this voice should never have a doubt who Jesus was. We should never forget that Jesus was then, and always will be God: God the Word before He came to earth and God the Son for His stay on earth. The Spirit of God dwelled in Him. Jesus was baptised not for His own benefit (he didn’t need to be baptised), but for ours. He wanted to show us that being baptised was important. Amen!