How Did He Know? (2nd installment)

How Did He Know?

A Story of Jesus and the Desert

[Second Installment (First Installment at March 7, 2013)]

 [The first installment (go down to March 7th post if you want to read the entire beginning installment) told of Jesus coming to John the Baptist for baptism in the Jordan River, and it ended this way . . .]
. . . There was one quiet moment when the Jordan closed over them - one moment when the noise of the multitude was replaced with the muffling sound of the river.  Dark coolness replaced the piercing sun.  One moment - and then came rush back up into the air.  Flashes of light surrounded them as drops of water, flung from hair and beard and robes were caught by the sun.
Then came a more intense light - a rare orb of summer lightning shone brief but bright as sunlight - and then the thunder roared - and as it echoed Jesus heard a voice in the midst of the roar saying, "Beloved!"

It was a moment that could fill a man for a lifetime.  Questions and dreams were answered together, and the road ahead seemed to open before him.  Then came the Sign.

Out of the sun's glare the men became aware of wings.  A dove came lower, then settled on Jesus' shoulder.  John's eyes grew wide, and his mighty voice was stilled again.  The river rilled past, the water tugging at the robes of the two men.  As they walked towards the river's bank, the bird remained - fluttering and stepping to maintain a perch as Jesus moved.

The crowd had grown silent and watched as the men stepped onto dry ground.  The only movement was the rush of the smallest children to see the bird now resting serenely on Jesus' shoulder.  They crowded in reaching and laughing.  When the dove burst suddenly into flight tiny hands stretched higher tracing after - then the bird wheeled back in a flash of white feathers and a chorus of delighted shrieks arose as the little ones scattered.

As it turned out, there would be no chance to talk with the Baptizer - or anyone else.  There was much to discuss on such a momentous day, but the dove kept wheeling and diving at Jesus.

At first he laughed - as did his followers and the crowd - at the sight of a grown man being harried by this flurry of white wings.  There was a single moment of respite - when he stopped to regain the sandals he had left on a rock - then the bird flew at him again and again.  With a final laugh he lifted his strong arms in surrender.  He walked in the direction that, it seemed, he was meant to go.  The dove was now leading, setting out a path.  Jesus walked away from the River - away from friends and familiar voices - and into the silence of the desert places.