remain / dwell

In the first chapter of the Gospel According to John (NABRE), Jesus’ cousin John bears witness to Jesus as the one sent by God. In the Gospel According to John 1:32 (NABRE), John describes how he was able to identify Jesus because he saw the Holy Spirit remain on him. On the basis of this image, Jesus is often portrayed in art with a dove sitting on him. What bearing does this passage have on your image of Jesus?

The language chosen here strongly suggests permanence in this arrangement. The Greek word translated as “remain” can also mean “abide,” or “dwell.” The action described is not one of landing and then taking off again but one of residence. To further emphasize this point, the Evangelist uses the imperfect tense of the verb, which suggests continuous or ongoing action rather than a one-time, completed action. The strong suggestion of the text is that this dove does not go anywhere after it’s landed.

Consider how your view of Jesus and his ministry might be changed by seeing this dove permanently remaining with Jesus.

you also may like our study of the Gospel According to John
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, a 25-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines the Fourth Gospel’s view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, with special emphasis on the institution of the sacraments of the Church as the means by which Christians are purified and made holy. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary, and takes a closer look at the way in which Jesus relates to individual men and women. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

Click on the picture of the statue of Moses with horns (above) to learn more about Lost in Translation. A new entry is archived each Monday. Contact us to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. You may use any of the contact links on our website to ask Matthew a question.