Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 3:16

"And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;" — Matthew 3:16 (ASV)

The heavens were opened — The narrative implies that our Lord and the Baptist were either alone or that they alone saw what is recorded. The heavens were opened to him, just as they were to Stephen (Acts 7:56). The Baptist testifies that he also witnessed the Spirit descending (John 1:33–34), but there is no reason to suppose that there was any manifestation to others. In the same way, during the vision near Damascus, only Paul heard the words and saw the form of Him who spoke to him (Acts 9:7; Acts 22:9).

What they saw served, like the tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost, to confirm for each of them the reality and essential character of the gift that was given.

That descent of the Spirit, as it were a dove—as Luke adds, in bodily form (Luke 3:22)—taught the Baptist, as it teaches us, that the gift of supernatural power and wisdom also brought with it the perfection of tenderness, purity, and gentleness, for which the dove was the acknowledged symbol. The Lord commanded His disciples to be harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). When they read this account, they were taught, as we are, of what manner of spirit they were meant to be.