Symbols of the Star and Dove

Figgy pudding, sugarplums, and chestnuts--Christmas gift wraps a variety of symbols. They each carry some deep meaning, but together they bring us into another time and space. Some symbols simply signify the sweet warmth of love amidst winter's cold. Others proclaim love's origin, Jesus Christ.

The Gospels for the next two Sundays present symbols of Christmas. After we celebrate the day it takes weeks to understand the mystery. Two hallmarks of this season are the star of Epiphany and the dove of the Baptism of the Lord.

Epiphany recalls the visit of the magi (Matthew 2:1-12). Herod has heard about a newborn king and plots to kill the infant. He enlists the magi as unwitting accomplices. The disingenuous Herod has them find the child so he may go and pay homage. You half expect him to sell them some property in Florida. The magi find the child beneath a miraculous star.

The star does not merely function like an early searchlight. It conceals another story.

The star appears previously in the book of Numbers (22-24). Moses is marching the Israelites toward the promised land with God at his side. They have just wasted the Amorites when Balak, the king of Moab, fears the same fate. He sends for Balaam, a kind of secular prophet you rent by the hour. Balak the king asks Balaam the prophet to pray for an oracle, return, and curse Israel. However, when Balaam prays, he's in a pickle. God tells him that Israel is blessed, not cursed.

The story gets sidetracked at this point when Balaam's donkey talks to him. If you liked Mr. Ed you can look up this part on your own.

When Balaam finally approaches the king he delivers four oracles. They all enrage poor Balak because the curses he bought are falling on himself. The final oracle envisions Israel's future leader. Balaam says, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near--a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17).

That star foreshadows the star in the Epiphany story. Why? Because Numbers tells about a king who hires a prophet to help kill Moses leading the people into the promised land. Matthew tells about a king who hires magi to target the new Moses leading his people into the new promised land.

So, the star which Balaam foresaw reappears to proclaim that the future leader of Israel will be Jesus.

When they present the baptism of Jesus, all four Gospels mention another symbol of the season, the dove. Obviously, the dove is important. Unfortunately, we're not exactly sure what it means.

Not just the dove, but the whole idea of the baptism usually disturbs believers (Mark 1:7-11). If John baptizes for forgiveness of sins, what is the sinless Jesus doing there? The evangelists apparently saw the same problem, and they downplay the event. Still, they use the scene to tell us something wonderful about Jesus. That's where the dove comes in.

The simplest interpretation of the dove is what all the Gospels tell us. The dove is the Spirit. But no one had described the Spirit as a dove before. Why here?

One possibility comes from Genesis (1:2), which says the Spirit of God hovered over waters at creation. The Gospels may be proclaiming a new creation over Jordan's waters.

Another possibility is that the dove recalls an Old Testament image for Israel. The psalms speak of Israel as a dove (55:6, 68:13, 74:19)--swift, beautiful, and vulnerable. In Hosea (7:11; 11:11) doves symbolize God's senseless and trembling people. So having the Spirit appear as a dove may designate those for whom Jesus will exercise his ministry.

Doves appear in other places: Noah sends one from the ark to search for land (Genesis 8:8), and merchants sell them in the temple for the purification of new mothers who cannot afford sheep (Lev 12:8; Mark 11:15; John 2:14; Luke 2:4). But those images seem less likely to apply.

The Holy Spirit appears as a dove in our depictions of the Trinity because of the baptism of Jesus. Whether it proclaims a new creation or the recipients of Jesus' care, the dove announces the reign of God. The heavens which bore the miraculous star rend apart to reveal the Spirit. In these symbols we acclaim Jesus as the Christ.

[Published in the Catholic Key for the Epiphany 1/6/96, and the Baptism of the Lord 1/07/96]