THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST: THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST IN THE JORDAN

This icon is of the Baptism of the Lord celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6th) in both East and West along with the Visit of the Magi and the Miracle at Cana. St. John Chrysostom rightly points out that this is the real Theophany when the divinity of Christ is revealed through the testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Christ stands in the midst of the Jordan while the Spirit in the form of a dove descends upon Him and from the Father (represented by the square and half-cirlce at the very top) who dwells in inaccessible light. To the right the angels stand in awed reverence while John on the left reaches out to touch the Son, the Incarnate Word and Image of the Father.

In the Eastern rites both the Feast of Epiphany and its Forefeast are days for the Great Blessing of the Waters. First the water for baptism is blessed and then the waters of the world around us. Here are references to the Salvation won for us by Christ and made active in us through Baptism and to the sanctification not only of all water but of all creation by the Incarnation.

In this icon we see the Invisible God made visible descend into the water, the immaterial fire of His Divine Being unquenched, to be baptised by John the one He had created and called to be a prophet. This is He Who created water, from Whom the water and blood will flow, from Whom the ever-flowing and life-giving stream of the Spirit flows in to the world and He is engulfed in the Jordan. It is anticipation of His descent into the dark waters of death, into the unknown beyond the world of the living and His re-emergence in the Resurrection. At the back, behind John, Jesus and two disciples turn to speak to a smaller version of the Forerunner of God. Jesus raises His hand in blessing.

Also on the left an axe is laid by a tree a reference to Luke 3:9 (see Matt. 3:10) "For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down and cast into the fire" as well as to Isaiah 10:15 "Shall the axe boast itself against him that cutteth with it? or shall the saw exalt itself against him by whom it is drawn? as if a rod should lift itself up against him that lifteth it up, and a staff exalt itself, which is but wood." (Douay Rheims) Christ the Son, the Incarnate Word comes to Israel seeking the fruit of righteousness. Before He worked through John but now He works directly, pruning and clearing out His vineyard.

In His humility He seeks to set Himself ever lower. When He tells us to seek the lowest and least honourable place it is because He is inviting us to draw close to Him.

I suppose I should not let this Sunday go without a comment on the Feast. A lady asked me after Mass why Jesus needed to be baptised. A warning to preachers (!) just because one makes sense to oneself does not mean one makes sense to others. I thought I had dealt with that in my sermon. Jesus accepted John's baptism as the next step in His mission to reveal the Father's love and mercy (to reveal the Father!) and to save us for eternal life. By being immersed (exactly what the word means) in the waters of Jordan He made sacred all the waters of the world just as the Church sings. He also establishes the Sacrament of Baptism which He will commission His disciples to offer to the world for its salvation.
In the icon above, from Holy Trinity Church, Ohio, Christ stands in the midst of the waters of Jordan with John on the left and three angels, shocked at his humility, ready to minister to Him on the right. Above Him the Holy Spirit descends from the Father. This day is a Trinitarian feast, a celebration of the action of all three Divine Persons in our salvation and sanctification. For Him this is not a baptism of personal repentance but a prophetic act. He repents on our behalf, the sinless for the sinful, the pure for the impure, the perfect for the imperfect, God for man. He is both the axe laid to the root (Mt 3:10; Lk 3:9)and the axeman who wields the axe.
Scholars have suggested that the differences in the synoptic accounts of the Baptism are due the early Church coming to terms with who Jesus was and who John was. But what if the differences are due to different experiences? What if different people saw different things and the Gospels record them because these individuals were at different spiritual levels? Some had the eyes to see and ears to hear what the Lord was doing while others had not. Some could hear the voice of the Father, some that of an angel, some thunder. On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord perhaps we should pray for the spiritual eyes and ears we need to see what the Lord is doing now so that we can immerse ourselves in it with Him.