"Be ye therefore wise as serpents and _harmless as doves_" (Matt. x.
16). What the lamb is among animals, the dove is among birds. It is
the divine emblem of purity and innocence--the bearer of the olive
branch of peace. The whole character of the dove is in keeping with
this estimate. Its voice, no less than its disposition, is the
embodiment of sweetness. It has "a tender mournful cadence which, heard
in solitude and sadness, cannot fail to be heard with sympathy, as if it
were the expression of real sorrow" (Gosse). It recalls the language of
Isaiah, "We mourn sore like doves"; or those beautiful words of
Tennyson--
"Every sound is sweet;
The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees."
As symbolical of purity and peace, it became a fit emblem for the Holy
Spirit. "Lo, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending _like a dove_ and lighting upon Him." On the day of
Pentecost, however, the form chosen was quite different. "There came a
sound as of a rushing mighty wind, ... and cloven tongues _like as of
fire_, and it sat upon each of them." Why the difference? Why a gentle
dove in the one case and cloven tongues of fire in the other. The
difference lay in the character of the men. When it came to men--even
to holy men--it encountered prejudice and opposition, which must be
burned up, and thus it must needs take the semblance of fire. But when
it came to Jesus on the banks of the Jordan, it came to its own, and its
own received it with open arms; and to show the fulness and peacefulness
of the reception, it must needs be symbolised by a dove. In the holy
chrism of that baptismal hour, the dove and the lamb had met together.
The sacred bird had found a home, and it folded its wings upon its nest.
But this gentleness of disposition renders the dove a defenceless
creature, ill able to take care of itself, and it easily becomes the
victim of persecution. Hence Hosea speaks of Israel as "a silly dove
without heart," which shall "tremble as a dove out of the land of
Assyria." And thus the words "_wise as serpents_" have to be added.
The harmlessness of the dove must be supplemented by the wisdom of the
serpent. And both elements are found in the peerless example of Jesus.
See how He answered the quibbling questions of the Scribes and
Pharisees. They tried to entangle Him in His talk; but His wisdom was
more than a match for their cunning. The wolf was utterly discomfited
by the lamb. And this is the only worthy ideal for His followers: "Be
ready always to give an answer concerning the hope that is in you," but,
"with meekness and fear," "be ye wise as serpents and harmless as
doves."