In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.

The Baptism of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the beginning of His divine ministry on earth. It was a humble beginning as was His birth. The eternal king is the only one who chose His mother, but He did not choose a mother of high class, or of high social status or of the riches of this world. But He chose a humble Virgin, adorned not with earthly things, but with a life of purity, love and grace. And He, who sits on the throne that the Cherubim and the Seraphim cannot carry, was born in a manger as the poor and the neglected.

We see a similar humble beginning in His baptism – that He did not have John the Baptist come to Him, but He went to the Baptist himself. And He did not come first in line but was the last to be baptized: “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus was also baptized.” /Luke 3:21/. He was baptized not because He needed it. One of the reasons He was baptized was to teach us humility by example. Not only was He the last to be baptized on the day, but the creator chose to be baptized by the hand of the created. That is why John the Baptist said to the Lord Jesus, “I need to be baptized by You, and you are coming to me?” /Matt. 3:14/. As John the Baptist marveled at this humility, it is a matter of deep contemplation and marvel that is beyond our imagination. Thirty years before this day, his mother Elizabeth spoke similar words to the Virgin Mary while the Baptist was yet in his mother’s womb. The Virgin Mary, after the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Son of God, went to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth marveled at the Virgin Mary’s humility and said, “Why is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me? /Luke 1:43/.

The people that came to John the Baptist to be baptized were those who listened to his teaching about repentance and the Kingdom of God: “He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance.” /Luke 3:3/. Speaking about Himself, John said “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, making straight the way of the Lord.” The people who repented according to the preaching of the Baptist were the ones that not only witnessed the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also a great mystery – the manifestation of the Mystery of Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the power of prayer and repentance on this day to the multitude that came in repentance to be baptized at the hand of John. The evangelist Luke wrote, “while He prayed, the heavens were opened.” /Luke 3:21/.

Then, as He came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on His head in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father from heaven was heard: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” /Matt. 3:1/. This is a great mystery that was first revealed in this age to the Virgin Mary in the temple, when the archangel Gabriel came to announce to her about the birth of God the Son from her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One to be born of you shall be called the Son of God.” /Luke 1:35/. The mystery that was revealed to the Virgin Mary in private, was now revealed to those in repentance in public. This was one of the reasons the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized – to reveal the Trinity and to receive the testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” /John 1:33/

The place and the timing of the Lord’s baptism is not something that happened by chance, but according to God’s providential plan of His ministry on earth for our salvation. That is why John testified saying that even the reason He was baptizing was for the revelation of the Lord: “… that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” /John 1:31/. That is why this day is called epiphany – which means revelation. This is the day on which those who came in repentance also witnessed the fulfillment prophecy about this day. King David wrote “The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw You; they were afraid.” /Ps. 77:16/; “What ailed you, O thou sea, that you fled? Thou Jordan, that you were driven back?” /Ps. 114:5/. The Jordan river was once cut off when the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stood in the Jordan river, so that the people could pass through dry land. The Lord of the Ark was Himself now setting foot in the Jordan river, and as Kind David spoke in prophecy, the waters “fled” backward.

The Lord made His baptism the beginning of His divine ministry on earth, to indicate that it is with baptism we begin a life of fellowship in Him – being adopted again as the children of God and partakers of His kingdom. And as the children of God, we are called to follow His examples of humility, patience and love. After He washed the feet of the apostles, the Lord Jesus Christ said to them, “I have given you an example, that you should see how I have done to you.” /John 13:15/

We celebrate His baptism once a year, but we are called to follow His examples and live in His light all the days of our loves. What He gave us in His baptism is the blessing of the Sacrament of baptism, by which we are born from the Holy Spirit and adopted as the children of God. After all, this is the most important identity we have as Christians. We lost the grace of childhood because of disobedience. Therefore, in the words of St. Peter, let us “Give diligence to make our calling sure.” /2 Peter 1:10/

Jesus also was baptized, that He may bless out baptism and unite us in Him!

May the Lord God keep us in the Orthodox faith all the days of our lives! Amen.