The title probably won't make sense until the end.
The Pigeons are real birds; they are in the final photo below.
The Pan is the caprine (goat-like) god of the ancient Greeks.
I have to lay a lot of background before connecting the dots; fortunately it's not too boring.
Unlike most Grecian gods who had temples dedicated to their worship, Pan was a bit on the wild side and was usually worshiped—and sacrificed to—in caves or grottoes. In Greek art, he is usually depicted with horns, playing pipes that resemble a harmonica made of reeds, and walking upright on his goat hindquarters.
For now, I am going to ask you to accept without proof something that both my childhood Sunday school teachers and my high school Latin teacher probably would have disagreed with: Pan was/is not wholly a myth. He is based on a real spiritual entity of the fallen sort, a lower-case-g god who was created immortal. This is different than a demon, but that technical distinction is not critical here; just realize that Pan is real in the spiritual realm, and not a figment of mythology.
The picture at the right was taken at Hermon Stream Nature Reserve in northern Israel. You are looking down the rock wall of a natural cliff. Paved courtyards were built at the foot of the cliff during the time of Roman occupation of Israel. In the foreground is what's left of the red and white paving stones from the Court of Nemesis, goddess of vengeance.
Further back and more intact is the stepped Courtyard of Pan & the Nymphs. In mid-picture is an artificial cave or niche carved into the rock. A statue of Pan was once placed there. Later, other niches, five in all, were carved to hold a sculpture of Echo, a mountain nymph, and Hermes, (other small-g gods associated with Pan). At the far end is a natural cave, the Grotto of Pan. (In this photo, two tourists are looking down into the grotto from the observation rail.) The cave and one of the niches are also shown below in this head-on view taken from the trail head:
I will get to the pigeons' story shortly, but it is important to first establish the setting.¹ The first reliable written history dates to 200 BC when the Selucids and Ptolomies fought for control of the area. By the end of the first century BC, the Romans had annexed this area to the kingdom of Herod the Great, who began building a temple to Emperor Augustus near the springs, and built temples to Pan and Zeus in front of the existing niches in the cliff. These were relatively new and still standing in the days of Jesus. After the death of Herod, his son Phillip renamed the place after himself: Caesarea Phillipi. The worship of Pan was still going strong.
Jesus was in the vicinity of this place when he made the statement about building His church, which was recorded in Matthew 16:17,18,
17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.... well, for me, matching this place with Jesus' statement was like the sounding of a gong.
[Science Time Out — Most percussion instruments, when struck, have an initial sharp sound that then diminishes. A high quality gong, however, as the energy is distributed across its curved surface, develops sympathetic vibrations with a sound-on-sound effect whereby the volume builds in a rolling crescendo before it falls. Similarly, I experienced a building intensity of revelation that multiple levels of "stuff" was happening simultaneously. It's a different sensation than having a light come on all at once.]
In Matthew 16:16, Peter had just declared, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!"
A coming messiah had been prophesied for years. Mary must have sensed Jesus' messianic qualities at some level, especially in light of her direct meeting with Gabriel in Nazareth before she became pregnant, and Joseph's subsequent dream with the angel of the Lord where each were told what to name him. Jesus himself had been fulfilling scripture and dropping clues that are obviously messianic in hindsight. But now, Peter's statement, replete with full-assurance faith, counted for the first time that a Man-being proclaimed "Jesus is the Christ," and those words from the lips of a human ripped into the unseen realm.
I have a sense that this is what Jesus had been waiting and watching for—a sign from his heavenly Father. The Father had revealed Jesus' true identity to mankind; Peter's realm-ripping announcement was the green light that Jesus had been looking for. It was Show Time for the Church Age.
(Is it too much of a stretch to imagine Jesus with a Clint Eastwood swagger: Go ahead, Make my Day! Hmm... you decide. But when Jesus went back Jerusalem, he'd be riding that donkey home in his Triumphal Entry.)
Anyway, here at the base of Mt. Hermon in the midst of goat-god worship, Jesus says, "On this rock I will build My church." (a) There is a literal, physical rock that can still be photographed. (b) There is revelation knowledge from the Father to Peter; revelation so profound that Jesus made a pointed issue of calling Simon son of Jonah by the name Peter, Πέτρος, Petros, Greek for rock or stone. (c) There is Jesus speaking a new Creative Word, not unlike words spoken at the foundation of this world, a new foundational rock on which He will build His church. (a) body, (b) soul, (c) spirit.
Pretty Awesome Stuff.
Jesus did not make this declaration during his moment of dazzling transfiguration. He made it in the enemy stronghold of pagan worship. 'Probably a foreshadowing of what he'd do in Hades after the crucifixion. The thing to remember is that it's all real. As I said earlier, Pan was not a figment of mythology. Jesus was addressing more than the eye could see.
And so, when I was there at Banias (Hermon Stream Nature Reserve), taking in this multi-dimensional history, two pigeons flew into the Grotto of Pan. There is nothing overly remarkable about that. Pigeons are common in that area. They were a little bluer than the grey ones I commonly associate with bespoiling city fountains and plazas, and a bit more playful in their interaction, but nothing out of the ordinary. Except that in the English version of the printed literature published by Israel's Nature and Parks Authority,² they are not called pigeons; they are called Rock Doves.
First, there is the Rock part. I've already mentioned the foundation quality of rock, solid to build upon. And although these are obviously not the same rock doves that were flying over Pan's altar 2000 years ago, their descendants are still active here and not crumbling in the ruins.
Doves have symbolism that filthy pigeons just can't live up to! It was the dove that Noah sent out to see if the waters were abated from off the earth. It was the dove that the psalmist of 55:6 alluded to in his quest for finding a place of rest.
Okay, maybe Hosea wasn't so complimentary, calling doves "silly" and "without heart." (7:11)
But all four Gospels redeemed that foul fowl reputation when a dove was used to describe the Holy Spirit's descent upon the newly-baptized Jesus.
Today, and consistently since Greco-Roman times, the dove has been a symbol of peace.
So my takeaway from this pair of rock doves showing up, these pigeons in the cave of Pan, was that despite the heavy history of the place, life continues. God's plan is still rock-solid. The Holy Spirit still desires to perch upon mankind's hearts, and the light of peace is still meant to triumph over darkness.
Footnotes
¹ This information is paraphrased from the Hermon Stream brochure published by Israel Nature and Parks Authority
² Banias Nature Reserve website (English) the web version differs from the print edition, calling them rock pigeons instead of rock doves. Either way, the family is Columbidae.
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