GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
MARK 1:10
Describing the Indescribable
Some experiences are difficult to communicate. One can say, for example, “I’m happy,” but that may not convey enough force, so one can say, “I’m as happy as a clam.” Now, I’m not sure of the exact connection between happiness and a clam, except that the wide separation of a clam shell may represent the breadth of a smile. One may try to describe the need to be cautious when dealing with another person who is “as sly as a fox.” Every language has these similes, which try to convey a connotation as well as a denotation—“as blind as a bat,” “as cold as ice,” “as tough as nails,” or “as stubborn as a mule.”
St. Mark said, “And then, as he [Jesus] was coming up from the water, he saw the heavens being split open and the Spirit as a dove coming down upon him.” (1:10) John, who had just baptized Jesus, said that he also saw this phenomenon, adding that the Spirit remained on him. (John 1:32) Of course, successors seized on this simile to portray the Holy Spirit as a dove. There’s nothing in the record to indicate that this was a “shock-and-awe” event that left bystanders aghast, if there were any bystanders. Jesus experienced the coming of the Spirit as a confirmation, empowerment, and initiation for his place in the Father’s redemptive purpose. Of course, the rest of Jesus’ ministry confirmed this empowerment.
Hearing the Father’s voice and experiencing the redemptive infilling of the Holy Spirit is a personal, internal experience, that must be confirmed by its congruence with the Word of God. How does one communicate that experience without relying on similes?
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