1. Matthew 3:16 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does the Spirit of God descending and resting on Jesus signify?

Matthew 3:16 (ESV)

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

The Spirit’s descent does not mean that before his baptism Jesus was not filled by the Holy Spirit. He was! But this moment marks the onset of the ministry of Jesus, his official anointing (Isaiah 61:1–2; Matthew 5:3–5; Matthew 11:5).