After Jesus is baptized, the heavens are opened and the Spirit of God descends like a dove and comes to rest on him Matthew 3:16. A voice from heaven says, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" Matthew 3:17.
In Matthew 3:16–17, right after Jesus is baptized, the scene shifts from the river to a series of signs from above. Jesus comes up from the water, and the heavens are opened “to him.” He then sees God’s Spirit coming down in a dove-like way and arriving on him. This moment closes the baptism episode that begins with John’s ministry and his call for repentance, where John also announces a stronger figure who will come after him (see Matthew 3:1–12).
Matthew presents Jesus’ baptism as the launch point for public, heaven-sent confirmation. The text moves quickly from Jesus coming up out of the water to a set of signs that interpret what the baptism means. Two visual elements are highlighted: “the heavens were opened to him” and Jesus seeing “the Spirit of God” descend in a dove-like way and come upon him.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Matthew 3:16, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
16Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.