This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

El Greco - The Baptism of Christ, 1597-1600, Museo National Del Prado,  Madrid, Spain

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 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 from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

- Matthew 3:13-17

Yesterday, we read that in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'"  Now John Himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham even from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 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.   In Matthew's Gospel, John knows Jesus immediately as Christ.  My study bible says that Jesus doesn't need purification.  But by making the purification of humanity His own, He would wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity (in the verses further on).  Therefore, His baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  Gregory of Nyssa writes, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  My study bible says that the Spirit of God hovered over the water at first creation in Genesis 1:2.  Here, the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  Jesus has always been the Son of God, but today it's revealed to the world, via this baptism that "fulfills all righteousness."  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon Him.  In the East, the Epiphany celebrated January 6th, commemorates this day.  For the earliest Christians and some communities today like the Armenian Apostolic Church, Christmas or Nativity was celebrated together with this day, the birth of Jesus' public ministry. Epiphany (or Theophany) means "Revelation," as not only is Jesus revealed as Son of God, but more truly God is revealed in the Trinity -- the Son, the Spirit, and the Father's voice.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."   This quotation is from Psalm 2:7: "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  The Trinity is revealed:  the Father speaks; the Holy Spirit descends, the Incarnate Son is baptized.

Jesus fulfills all righteousness by submitting to a baptism that He doesn't really need for sins.  In the earliest Church, tradition has it that Jesus' baptism in the Jordan blessed all the waters of the world, making them ready for Christian baptism with water and the Spirit.  If we look at some icons of the Baptism, there are fish swimming in the water, and the whole icon teems with life and the whole of creation (see this icon, in a not-very-good photo taken by me at the Byzantine Museum in Athens, Greece, in which the golden fish show with great vibrance).  There is also the presence of angels, and in some there are small figures representing the waters, the Jordan and the sea.  (See this icon, with the tiny male and female figures at the bottom right and left of Jesus, and four angels standing on the riverbank opposite John the Baptist).   They are meant to express Psalm 114:3:  "The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned back."  All of creation is to be made whole with this baptism, made to fulfill all righteousness, in which Christ blesses the waters of the whole world, that feed everything, and the angels rejoice and are ready to minister and serve He who is the Son.  This is the beginning of Jesus' ministry to the world, and the revelation of the Trinity.  But it is we and everything else in all of creation who are included in this gift for us.  Jesus was always Son, this is a gift of love for the world.  And all the elements of the world represented (such as the Jordan and the sea) must serve Him as Lord.   But what is the manner in which this Son is revealed, this Lord of all the elements of creation?  It is His humility in submitting to baptism by John, although John knows who He is and will in turn say, "He must increase but I must decrease."  In this sense, baptism -- a voluntary death to rebirth symbolized by the covering of the waters -- is consistent with His crucifixion, another act of humility that will "fulfill all righteousness" for the world, another gift via Incarnate Son.  Everything our gracious Lord does is for giving a gift to us, anointing the whole of creation with love.  We can't forget Jesus' final words at the Ascension:  "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  It's more truly translated, "go everywhere" and preach the gospel "to all the creation."   All of creation is involved in this baptism, this gift, for all.   Above, I've put another image of the Baptism, by El Greco, displaying a universe of life given a greater life in abundance in Jesus' baptism.  (Click the picture to see it larger.)  Even the water at Jesus' feet stirs and glows with a hidden light and life, and golden fish, which show us the abundance of life He promises -- every creature, all of creation, is somehow involved.