My beloved brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 6th of January our Holy Orthodox Church commemorates
the Baptism of our Lord, God and Savior JESUS CHRIST in the
River Jordan. (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22;
John 1:29-34).
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I
need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’
But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now,
for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’
Then he allowed Him . When He had been baptized, Jesus
came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens
were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and alighting upon Him.
And suddenly a voice came heaven, saying, ‘This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. First Tone
WHEN Thou was baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of
the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare
witness to Thee, calling Thee His Beloved Son. And the Spirit
in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word, O
Christ our God, Who has appeared and hast enlightened the
world, glory to Thee
Hypokoe. Plagal of First Tone
WHEN Thou didst enlighten all things by Thine Epiphany, the
briny sea of unbelief fled, and as Jordan flowed down, it turned
back, exalting us to Heaven. Through the intercessions of the
Theotokos, preserve us at the height of Thine divine Commandments,
O Christ God, and have mercy on us.
Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone
ON this day Thou has appeared unto the whole world, and Thy
Light, O Sovereign Lord, is signed on us who sing Thy praise
and chant with knowledge: Thou hast now come, Thou hast
appeared, O Thou Light unapproachable.
In the Patristic Tradition the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan IS CONNECTED WITH THE MIRACULOUS CROSSING OF THE RED SEA BY THE ISREAELITES. Just as it was by the Wonder-working energy of the Unincarnate Logos/Word, through Moses, that the Egyptians were engulfed and the Israelites were freed, so also here BY THE POWER OF THE INCARNATE LOGOS/WORD, CORRUPT AND PERVERTED MAN IS REFORMED AND THE DRAGONS ARE CRUSHED, THAT IS TO SAY, THE DEMONS LOSE THEIR POWER.
Saint Gregory Palamas states: "Water is a means of cleansing, but not for souls. It can remove dirt from those being baptized, but not the grime that comes from sin. For that reason the Healer of souls, the Father of spirits (Hebrew 12:9), Christ, Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), enters the water before us to be baptized, as we celebrate today in advance. He draws the grace of the All-Holy Spirit from above to dwell in the water with Him, so that later when those being baptized as He was enter the water, He is there, clothing them ineffably with the Spirit, attaching Himself to them, and filling them WITH GRACE THAT PURIFIES AND ILLUMINES REASONABLE SPIRITS. And this is what the divine Paul is referring to: "AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON CHRIST" (Galatians 3:27).
"While the THREE IMMERSIONS in the water are also the saving invocation of the Life-Giving Trinity, they REPRESENT THE LORD’S THREE-DAY BURIAL. Following this, the person being baptized comes out of the water the same number of times, because otherwise he could not have been submerged three times, but also because this signifies the profitable contrition of heart, but also sought fruits worthy of REPENTANCE (Matthew 3:8). What are these? Firstly CONFESSION, as practiced by those who came to HIm at that time. "Then they went out," it says, "and were baptized by him in Jordan, CONFESSING THEIR SINS" (Matthew 3:5-6). Next, He looked for righteousness, almsgiving, moderation, agape, truthfulness, telling them, "Exact no more than that which is appointed you," "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely" (Luke 3:13-14), and "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:11) "For every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low" (Luke 3:5).
"…Yet the Lord’s baptism, of which we were deemed worthy, is as fare superior to the baptism given by John in those days, as the grace of the Holy Spirit is more excellent than water; and in proof of this the Lord said to His Disciples, "John truly baptized with water; BUT YOU SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" (Acts 1:5). Whereas Saint John baptized so that people would believe in Him Who was coming, the Lord TRANSFORMED JOHN’S BAPTISM THROUGH HIMSELF, MYSTICALLY PLANTING WITHIN IT THROUGH HIMSELF THE PRE-ETERNAL FOUNT OF GRACE. While John was teaching these things and baptizing those who approached, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan, TO BE BAPTIZED BY JOHN (Matthew 3:13l Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21; John 1:29-31). He came when He had reached thirty years of age, as Luke relates (Luke 3:23), seeming to be one of the crowd, with no indication that He was at all different, in simplicity and utter lowliness and obscurity.
"Saint John, however, knew through the clear vision of the Spirit that He was drawing near, and said to the multitude, "THERE STA27NDETH ONE AMONG YOU, WHOM YE KNOW NOT, WHO IS AFTER ME," ACCORDING TO HIS BIRTH AND APPEARANCE IN THE FLESH, BUT "WAS BEFORE ME" John 1:26-27, 15), as God, the Logos/Word and Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, and now bearing bodily THE FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD (Colossians 2:9), "the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose" (Luke 3:16). What else can the shoes of the Logos/Word of God be except, obviously, the flesh, which He put on for our sake? The strap of these shoes is the way in which His Divinity is joined with His flesh, which is beyond words, and which even the highest man born of woman (cf. Matthew 11:11) is inadequate to analyse and clarify. "He," says Saint John, "SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND WITH FIRE" (Matthew 3:11); fire, that is to say, which is capable of enlightening and punishing, w1ith each one receiving what is appropriate, according to what his disposition merits. We are all His rational field (1 Corinthians 3:9), and He has "the winnowing-fan" for that field "in His hand" (Matthew 3:12), meaning the power who minister to Him and the Angels who will serve Him at the Coming Judgment, separating the tares from the wheat (cf. Matthew 13:39-42).
"…When Saint John saw Him bowing down he himself bent low and "forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee" (Matthew 3:14), for I was born from the old seed and am an heir of that fall and the defilement it brought, and I myself need cleansing by You. And You, Who took flesh from the Holy Virgin without seed, and Who alone, as God, are FREE FROM SIN, YOU, LORD, COME TO ME? But as a Master giving orders to his servant the Lord says, "Suffer it to be so now" (Matthew 3:15). He added "now," because after the Lord had been baptized that whole place became A SPIRITUAL FONT, AND DIVINE GRACE ENCOMPASSED JOHN AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHERS, POURED OUT UPON ALL FROM THAT REVERED BODY AS FROM A FOUNTAIN, FLOWING AROUND ALL WHO WERE WORTHY, GIVING DIVINE ENLIGHTENMENT AND REDEEMING THEM FROM THE ANCESTRAL CURSE.
"Saint John, hearing the Master’s command, "Suffer it to be so," had nothing to say in reply, and let the Lord be baptized. The Holy Spirit comes uon us and departs of His own volition, being of equal might with the Father and the Son. He says with those who lie in repentance, and een if they sin does not leave them, as we have seen from David (2 Samuel 12:1ff; cf. Psalm 51:11), but forsakes those who sin without repenting, as we hae found out from Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 16:14). So may we all, clinging throughout our lives to the works, words and thoughts of repentance, hae Him always dwelling within us, to give us understanding, care for us, and grant us heavenly salvation, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
(Resources: Homilies)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 