16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
Verse 16 - text of the animation by R David Foster
As soon as One was acknowledged, One went up, out of the church. At that moment, heaven was opened, and Joan saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on One.Verse 16 Discussion
People use to tell me, in my early adulthood, that it doesn't matter what I do with my life, as long as I get committed. A university professor told me I could write about anything that I want, as long as I get engaged; but that's another story. What's done is done, so move on. Jesus has made his commitment, and begins to head out of the river, but then notices that things are different, as his commitment has made a difference.
Once one has wrestled with a decision, there comes a time to decide, and then move on. What's passed is past. The decision is made and the issue is no longer open for deliberation, discussion or debate. Others may try to maintain a state of deliberation in one's mind, but this only makes one's resolve stronger, and one closes them self off to anyone who wants to question the decision. For me this was the issue of whether I would complete grade thirteen, on the path to university. I had already made up my mind and had obtained an offer to become an electrician's apprentice, and I was already employed on that decision. But then my parents returned and at least my mother, if not both my parents, as well as an uncle in a lengthy soliloquy, made it clear to me that they wanted me to attend grade thirteen, even going so far as to tell me they know I want to attend grade thirteen, and I found their audacity amazing. Solely out of respect for my parents wishes, I attended another year of secondary school, and promised myself this was the last thing I would do out of deference to my parents wishes.
There is a freedom and joy that comes when one's mind is made up and the decision has been made and the die has been cast. When I am drawing the animation, it takes extreme concentration, and then I am exhausted, relieved and pleased that it is done, regardless of the shortcomings I am all too well aware of in the quality of my work. This joy may be what Jesus felt once he had committed himself to his ministry, by deciding to follow the law in such an intense fashion. The decision had been made and he no longer deliberated on where why and how, only considering what he would do next to follow his Father on the path He chose for Jesus. The relief of having the decision made would be enough to invite the spirit of God to alight on him, like a dove landing, and it would remain with him into his temptation trials in the desert in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. It was the same spirit that drove him into the desert, and the same spirit that brought him back out.
It is not clear to me who the “he” refers to in the original Gospel text – is it Jesus who saw the spirit of God, or was it John who saw the spirit of God descend upon Jesus. 
Perhaps it descended on both of them ! In the animation, it is Joan who sees the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on One, the couple. We are not made aware of how the couple felt as they left the church to continue on in their relationship. They appear to be driven by the spirit that is upon them.
Heaven was opened so that one, or even the One, can have a glimpse of what where we are heading would be like. The environment is heavenly. Joy reigns.
The spirit of God is portrayed in the animation. It is two tori linked and moving. This is a finite, limited image of infinite existence. God is infinite, and made manifest in our finite world. This animated image of the spirit of God is the least limited image I can find for my understanding of the universe or the nature of infinite reality.
The Hebrews did not create any images of God that were endorsed, so this discussion excludes things they created like a golden calf. Even the name of God was never said out loud, only written as “YHWH”, which lacking vowels could not be said. The gentiles added an “a” and an “e” to make it “YAHWEH”, and pronounceable. In other writings, a German “j” pronounced as a “y” made the spelling “JHWH” or “JAWEH”, which has become “Jehovah”, as in “Jehovah's Witnesses”. Regardless, Yhwh translates to “ I am “. This is God's name - “ I am “.
Jesus taught that we should call God our “ Father “, which implies he is a personal parent apart, who has a vested interest in each of us personally. This is more familiar than “ I am “, which comes across as a little cold. Nevertheless, if one is, there must be other than one, that is separate from one. So “ I am “ implies there is a “ You are “, or “ It is “. Jesus also taught that we are children of God and that the peacemakers will be called sons of God. Jesus presented a God that is much more familiar, personal and intimately involved in each one of us. Each of us at some time has used the phrase “ I am “ in contexts such as “ I am happy “ or “ I am hungry “.
Christianity uses the symbol of the cross ( ΐ ), which implies two aspects perpendicular to one another. Jehovah's Witnesses claim there is only the upright and dismiss the horizontal, and others claim the horizontal bar is at the top of the upright, so that the upright does not pass through the horizontal. There is a mythology represented in these symbols, whether intended or not. Another symbol is the Jewish star of David, made up of an equilateral triangle pointing down into another equilateral triangle pointing up, creating a six pointed star. The mythology of this symbol could be that God is reaching down to us as we reach up to God. It appears to represent a dichotomy.
In this animated symbol of infinite existence, there are two tori oriented perpendicular to each other, and linked. Each surface of each tori is moving laterally and longitudinally, each at the same rate as the other, each completing one revolution both laterally and longitudinally in the same time period. This means that at the inside of each tori, where each touches the inside of the other tori, the motion is continuous and in synch, even though the tori are perpendicular to each other. However, where the outside of a tori touches the inside of the other torus, the outside the torus is moving at least twice the speed of the inside of the other torus ! This is an inconsistency in the model. This would be a boundary between the two tori, but where the insides of each tori touch there would not be any boundary. This boundary gradually progresses from where the insides of the two tori touch and are in synch, where there is not a boundary between them, to where the outside one torus touches the inside of the other torus, where the boundary is most distinct, due to the greatest discrepancy between the speeds of the two surfaces of the tori.
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