What does Luke 3:22 mean?

Here, Luke provides the few details he gives about Jesus' baptism. Other gospel writers give more information about this event (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11). John adds details especially relevant to Luke's purpose here: that the Holy Spirit descended to Jesus, as God delivered a message of approval (John 1:32–33). These signs support John the Baptist's claim that the One whom he heralds is "greater" than John himself (Luke 3:16). John's role is to prepare the people, and once Jesus arrives, his ministry naturally begins to fade (John 3:28–30).

All four gospels refer to a dove when explaining the Holy Spirit's descent to Jesus. This has resulted in the traditional image of a dove—the small white bird—sitting on Jesus' shoulder in artwork over many centuries. It's worth noting that while Scripture says the Holy Spirit had some "bodily form," most references about the dove are applied to how the Spirit came down, not what it looked like. That is, the Bible doesn't explicitly say, "the Holy Spirit appeared like a dove and landed on Jesus." It came to rest on Him in a dovelike way—perhaps implying a floating, settling, gentle manner.

The voice from heaven, like the other signs, establishes that Jesus of Nazareth is the One predicted by prophecy (Isaiah 9:6–7) and proclaimed by men like John (Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6).