Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

Baptism of Christ, 15th cent. from Kythera;  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece 

 

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

 

- Matthew 3:13-17 

 

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 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.  My study Bible comments that Jesus does not need purification.  He makes the purification of humanity His own, and thereby washes away humanity's sin, grants regeneration, and reveals the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  So, therefore, Christ's baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  St. Gregory of Nyssa comments, "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 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 the first creation (Genesis 1:2).  Now, the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove in order to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at this beginning of the new creation.  Jesus does not become the Son of God here on this day.  What is happening is that He is revealed to all as the Son of God at this occasion.  The Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  The feast day of Epiphany (meaning manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God), is celebrated on January 6th.  In the Eastern Churches it commemorates this occasion.  In the most ancient practices of the Church, Theophany and Nativity (Christmas) were celebrated together on January 6th; in the Armenian Apostolic Church, this practice is maintained today.

 

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."  My study Bible asks us to note how the Baptism of Jesus reveals the great mystery of the Trinity -- the Father speaks; the Holy Spirit descends; the Incarnate Son is baptized.  

 

In a particular sense, we can think of the occasion of Christ's Baptism as an icon, and it is among other things an icon of the Holy Trinity.  There is the voice of the Father, identifying Christ as God's Son, and the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) descending like a dove, all together, and declaring the tripartite God; that is, one God in three divine Persons.  This great mystery is revealed in this "icon" of Baptism, in which God has chosen to manifest God's realities for us human beings.  This greater revelation of God comes as Jesus encourages John the Baptist to baptize Him in order to fulfill all righteousness.  So here, at this very beginning of Christ's ministry, we are immediately offered a manifestation of God, the Holy Trinity.  That is, a revelation of God in an expanded sense.  While in second temple literature in the Jewish tradition, from the centuries just immediately prior to the coming of Christ, there existed opinions that there might be more Persons of God than One, here that is confirmed and expanded.  So this beginning of Christ's public ministry both reveals God in greater fullness than was known before, and at the same time inaugurates His preaching and teaching mission.  It's a way that we understand that He is the One who is Sent among us, as the Beloved Son.  So even as Christ is fulfilling all righteousness by being baptized by John the Baptist, the fruits of ministry have begun, and humanity is enlightened into an understanding of God in a fuller way than before.  As Christ's ministry unfolds, He will teach us that to see Him is to see the Father, and we will also witness the effects of the Spirit, even as Christ's ministry prepares us for Pentecost.  Let us take a moment to think of these gifts given to us, this illumination brought by Christ who is Sent, and manifest to us through the Holy Spirit, and be grateful for what we have been given, for even in this moment, the world is transformed and Christ's gifts and effects continue among us.  Christ is placed in the waters of Baptism, sanctifying the waters of the world for Holy Baptism to come, transfiguring what we know of God, giving us gifts that will continue to give and will not stop coming.  Let us not be dismayed by the evil that works in the world, for we know that He has come to enlist us in the fight for this world, and all that He does is for us.  Let us be blessed with this knowledge, this revelation, and with the gifts of the Spirit that continue to bless us, including baptism, holy water, our prayers, and all the sacraments and mysteries this moment offers and opens up for the Church to come.  Let us learn from this icon of the Holy Trinity that where One Person of the Trinity is present, so there are all Three among us, with Christ who brings us this depth of connection to God.  For the whole world is blessed as sacrament from this moment fulfilling all righteousness.

 

 

 

 

 

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening

 

Transfiguration of the Lord, Andrei Rublev, 1405. Annunciation Cathedral, Kremlin, Moscow

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

 

- Luke 9:28–36 

 

On Wednesday, we read that Jesus said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."

 

  Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  This story of the Transfiguration occurs after the events of Monday's reading, in which Peter confessed on behalf of the disciples that Jesus is "the Christ of God."  Jesus then warned the disciples for the first time about the events that will come to pass in Jerusalem, and told them that each must take up one's own cross daily to follow Him.  Here, Jesus takes His "inner circle" -- that is, those disciples who are strongest in faith -- up on the mountain to pray.  This event is one called a Theophany, which means a manifestation of God, but especially the divinity of Christ.  The Church has historically viewed the Transfiguration as a display of Christ's uncreated, divine energy, and it is celebrated as a major feast day, especially in the East.  Because God is light (1 John 1:5), this light which alters the appearance of His face, and makes His robe white and glistening, demonstrate that Christ is God.  In some icons, this light is shown with a tinge of blue, indicating that it is beyond white -- an ineffable color, indicating its spiritual origin.  

And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.   Moses and Elijah represent Jewish spiritual history.  Moses represents the law, and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- since he did not experience death (2 Kings 2:11-12) -- all those who are alive in Christ.  My study bible says that their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ), who is the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  In Greek, Christ's decease is written as exodus/ἔξοδος (literally meaning "departure") and refers to His death.  My study bible says that Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, for Christ will be glorified through His death (John 12:23).  The term exodus teaches us that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  It is also a confirmation that Christ's death was not imposed by outside forces, but a voluntary offering of love.  My study bible comments that no arresting soldier could withstand such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).  

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.   The presence of Moses and Elijah also manifests the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).   My study bible points out that both are immediately recognizable to the disciples, and they talk with the Lord.  The disciples will now be able to understand Jesus' words that "Elijah has come already" (Matthew 17:12) in referring to John the Baptist.  My study bible says that their eyes have been opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) is a reference to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.  This event is also a foreshadowing of Christ's future glory, when as Messiah He will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  Peter's confused grasp this truth stirs him to suggest that tabernacles be built as he connects it to the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), which is also known as the feast of the coming kingdom, as was done at that feast.  The tabernacles (or tents or booths) served as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  This bright cloud is a recollection of temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present -- and no doubt a sign to Peter that the Kingdom has come.  The Father bears witness from heaven concerning His Son.  My study bible notes that God the Father does not say, "This has become My beloved Son," but "This is My beloved Son," an indication that the divine glory the disciples behold belongs to Christ by nature.  He is from eternity past, infinitely before Christ's Baptism and Transfiguration, He is the Son of God, fully sharing in the Father's essence.  This is a manifestation of the Holy Trinity:  Christ is transfigured in light, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person and overshadows the whole mountain (see Matthew 17:5).

 

 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  This experience and revelation or manifestation of Christ's divine nature and glory will serve the disciples through the difficult days to come during Christ's Passion, and the persecutions they and the Church will also endure.

Have you ever had what some people call a mountain top moment?  A mountain top moment is a moment such as this one, of the Transfiguration, in which something is revealed about the nature of life that shows us more than our day to day experience, and gives us also a revelation or manifestation of something beyond our usual perceptions of the nature of life.  The Transfiguration is a true manifestation -- in ways these three disciples (Peter, James, and John) can experience and understand -- of what is already present with Christ.  That is, the communion of saints (present in Moses and Elijah) is always with Christ.  God the Father is always with Christ.  The Holy Spirit is always with Christ, and so is Christ's divine nature.  But all of this is made manifest for the disciples to experience and to know for themselves, and in ways they can grasp and perceive what is being given to them.  Moses and Elijah (and the communion of saints), the bright cloud, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the true uncreated light of Christ and His divinity and energies, are always there.  They have always been there.  But this event is given to the disciples -- a manifestation which they can see and experience on many levels deep within themselves -- and by extension to us.  It is part of the mission of Christ into the world, and has become an essential part of our Church and the truths given through the disciples to us.  Through science we know, for example, that there is a whole spectrum of light always present in sunlight, which includes the colors of the rainbow.  When all these different colors of light combine, the color produced is white, and that is what we see and perceive in our every day lives.  But that doesn't mean that all those various colors of the light spectrum aren't always there.  Moreover, what we see with our eyes is the light that is reflected back to us, and not absorbed by the physical bodies of whatever material object we see.  A bright yellow flower has actually absorbed all the other colors of the light spectrum, and we see bright yellow because that is what has "bounced off" and is reflected back to us.  Lasers developed for underwater communication must be made of blue-green light, because this is the portion of the light spectrum that is not absorbed by the water, but instead reflects off it so that we perceive a body of water as made of this color.  In other words, even in our worldly, earthly lives, there are all kinds of things that are always there which we don't necessarily perceive.  And so it is with the Kingdom and its realities.  It exists here with us, it intersects our world.  If we listen to the teachings of our Holy Bible, we are to understand that there are all kinds of beings which populate the unseen Kingdom, who make up the communion of saints (including angelic beings), which are always present.  But we just don't have those mountain top moments all the time in which they are manifest to us in ways that we are capable of perceiving and grasping in our own understanding.  But every once in a while in the life of a believer, there are those moments when they are.  They rarely come as visions, but more often as a "still small voice" in the heart and during prayer.  There are countless who were abused children who can tell of some experience of protection that was with them, preserved them and saved them into adulthood when they were better able to understand and be grateful for their saving faith.  There are many stories of some way of "knowing" in a dangerous circumstance:  a voice that gave directions, some form of assurance, a "something told me" moment, that all kinds of people can tell us.   Having had a few of those inexplicable moments myself, I can write that I am grateful none came in a vision -- to actually behold an angel or some other astonishing being in true glory probably would frighten me away and make me question my own perceptions and pursuit of faith (and my own sanity!).  But God's wisdom places such moments in our lives as we need them and in ways we hopefully can accept and grow to understand more deeply.  But let us never forget that we as believers are to understand that this reality is always with us.  It intersects and permeates our world.  When we pray, the Kingdom is with us, even as we pray to Our Father that God's kingdom come, and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  When we worship in Church, we are to understand that the angels pray and worship with us -- and countless angels may be present at the altar, not to mention the communion of saints of the Church, known and unknown.  We are told that we each have a Guardian Angel accompanying us at all times.  And Christ and the saints are present with us when we pray and ask for help.  The Psalms even declare, "If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there" (Psalm 139:8).  St. Paul preached to the Athenians regarding their "unknown god" that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  But the nature of our reality is such that although this divine presence is possible for us anywhere, we simply can't and don't perceive what is always there, just as we can't always see all the colors of the worldly light spectrum from our sun -- although there are times we'll see them refracted in a spray of water or a prism.  We are made to live in a certain framework of experience, but God also gives us experience and faith so that we perceive what is greater than simply our day to day understanding, and we are called to that perception.  We are called to hear His word, we are called to know Him, we are called to live this life of faith.  And we are given this gift of manifestation, Theophany, and the Transfiguration, through God's grace and love calling to us.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

- Luke 3:15–22 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read the Prologue to Luke's Gospel which was dedicated to Theophilus, and then began chapter 3:  "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the world delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."  . . .  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked place shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin 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 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."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  

 

  Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.   My study bible says that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Moreover, my study bible says, in this passage it is a further declaration of the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, 2:6).  It notes also that this fire is one:  it is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  Images of this fire include the burning bush seen by Moses, which burned but did not consume the bush, and out of which He heard the voice of God (Exodus 3).  In the light of the New Testament, the burning bush is often seen as a "type" of Mary the Mother of God, who conceived by the Holy Spirit but in her purity of heart was not burned.

But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  Herod had divorced his own wife, and married Philip's wife Herodias.  As Philip was still living, John the Baptist publicly criticized the marriage as unlawful, a contravention of Jewish law.  These sons of Herod the Great ruled for Rome, but came from a lineage of converts to Judaism and had been raised as Jews.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  My study bible comments that Jesus Himself does not need baptism.  But in being baptized, Christ accomplishes several things.  First, He affirms the ministry of John the Baptist.  Second, Jesus is revealed by the Father (the voice . . . from heaven) and the Holy Spirit as the Christ, God's beloved Son.  He identified with His people by descending into the waters with them.  Jesus also prefigured His own death, which gives baptism its ultimate meaning.  Christ also entered the waters, which sanctifies water itself for baptism.  His Baptism is also a fulfillment of many types given in the Old Testament, such as when Moses led the people out of bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14), and when the ark of the covenant was carried into the Jordan so the people could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3; 4).  Finally, Christ opened heaven to a world separated from God through sin. 

My study bible has a lengthy note regarding Christ's Baptism.  For the Eastern churches, the Baptism of Christ is celebrated on January 6th, and it is known commonly as Epiphany ("Revelation" or "Manifestation") or more properly as Theophany, a revelation or manifestation of God.  The Son is revealed by the descent of the Holy Spirit, and by the voice of the Father.  My study bible says that this is the greatest and clearest public manifestation of God as Trinity in human history.  A hymn of the Orthodox church for this day proclaims, "The Trinity was made manifest."  My study bible adds that the words spoken by the Father ("You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased") also apply to everyone who is baptized and lives faithfully, as we know that sonship is bestowed by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  The Holy Spirit appearing as a dove is not an incarnation, but is rather a visible sign for the people.   The appearance of the dove further fulfills the type which was prefigured at the Flood.  My study bible quotes Theophan:  "Just as a dove announced to Noah that God's wrath had ceased, so too the Holy Spirit announces here that Christ has reconciled us to God by sweeping sin away in the flood waters of baptism."  It's worth understanding Scripture through this lens of the lengthy note from my study bible.  Although the Baptism of Christ is rendered in two rather simple verses in Luke's Gospel, what we learn from this lengthy note on the final verse in today's reading is how deeply a brief event may impact on the entire timeline of spiritual history as presented in the whole of the Bible.  Scripture reflects and reflects and reflects upon itself, each reflecting facet illuminating other passages.  What was received one way may be understood in completely new ways by new events, and such is the way that the New Testament illuminates the events of the Old.  A New Testament passage taken on its own will have completely different meanings revealed through a careful reading of the Old Testament.  These are but some of the ways that Scripture works.  Therefore, in Christ's Baptism, an event that took a but a moment in real time has an effect that stretches backward -- and forward -- in time to impact the whole of an understanding of spiritual reality, and which continues to have meaning and grow in its impact upon our faith and our understanding of the nature of God and of God's revelation to the world through Jesus Christ.  For our earliest Christian ancestors, "Scripture" consisted only of the Jewish Scriptures, what we understand as the Old Testament Scriptures.  But within the context of the wider Greco-Roman world, there were already highly developed traditions in place of interpretation of religious texts, such as in Greek drama, poetry, and music.   The ancient myths were already understood as not simply literal histories, but also as allegories; moreover over time they were reworked to reveal more sophisticated insights and understanding, and also through the extensive lens of the well-developed discipline of philosophy.  And all of this went into the early Church, especially through the early Church Fathers, who were among the ranks of the most highly educated and sophisticated of their time.  When we read Scripture, as in today's example, we are to understand all of these influences and variable possibilities of insight and interpretation as not simply informing us about how we are to receive and understand what we read, but also giving us insight into the very nature of Scripture itself.  We should also understand our own insight from reading Scripture in this same context, and why it is worthwhile studying Scripture every day of our lives.  Regardless of the time at which we read, and depending on the choices we need to make and insights we may receive, the same passage of Scripture can help to illuminate conditions quite varied in our lives, from youth to extremely experienced old age.  At every stage of life, we're called upon for spiritual growth.  We will always have spiritual demands to meet regarding the growth of our soul, at each stage of life, and in daily affairs.  Just as Scriptures insights may be varied in terms of how Scripture works to illuminate itself, one part to another, and in conjunction with the wide variety of materials in the Church such as theology and liturgy and prayer, so these facets of illumination work at varied stages of our lives.  It is the nature of the Holy Spirit, also called "the breath of God," who is also responsible for our Scripture, which is called inspired.  Let us remember this as we read, and the enormity of the gift we're given in so small a space for an infinite universe of understanding.

Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

Theophany or Baptism of Christ, Byzantine Museum, Athens, Greece (photo of the author)

 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 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 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.  Jesus does not need purification.  As He makes the purification of humanity His own, my study bible notes, Christ will wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity (as we read in the following verses).  Therefore Christ's baptism is necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  My study bible quotes Gregory of Nyssa:  "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 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 the first creation (Genesis 1:2).  Now, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove to anoint the Messiah (or Christ), the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  It's important to understand this act does not "make" Christ the Son of God on this day; it is instead to be understood as a revelation of His divine identity.  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon Him.  In the Eastern Church, the feast day of this event is called Epiphany (meaning a manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (a manifestation of God).  This event is celebrated on January 6th, both commemorating this event and also pointing to the age to come.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  My study bible says that this quotation is from Psalm 2:7:  "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."   This completes the fullness of the revelation of the Holy Trinity:  the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Incarnate Son is baptized.

It's an intriguing proposition to think about a manifestation of the Holy Trinity in this world and to human understanding.  Oh, we can't get a truly "full" manifestation; that would be impossible.  We cannot know God fully the way that God knows God.  But nevertheless, using the elements of this world, including human understanding and awareness, a manifestation of the three Persons of the Trinity is happening at Jesus' baptism.  This is quite a remarkable thing to consider.  It happens, not nominally through an act of Jesus, but rather through the baptism by John, done, in Christ's words, "to fulfill all righteousness."  What does this tell us about our God, and also about the true interdimensionality, if you will, of all of creation.  First of all, the very event of Christ's birth is one in which God manifests as human being in the world -- fully human and fully God.  But this event reveals something more, the Holy Trinity itself.  It teaches us, among other things, that where one Person of the Trinity is, there the others are also.  It teaches us about the communion that is present to us.  Indeed, it is Jesus Himself who will teach us that the kingdom of God is within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).  Once again, it is also an affirmation that the energies of God -- that is, the actions or work of God -- are present to us in the world, and that they may manifest to us through even the created things of this world.  In other words, it is through human perception that we understand this event.  We as human beings cannot travel at will into the fullness of the presence of God as ontological being; that is, with the perception of God as pure Being in God's fullness.  Only God can do that.  But God can reach to God's creation and make the divine known to us in some way.  We are not separate from Creator.  This is the very definition and purpose of the Incarnation, and it is here present in the Theophany or Epiphany of God the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The very purpose of the Incarnation is to destroy the separation between human beings and God.  Here, not only is Jesus revealed as the Christ and Son of God, but the relation of Father, Son, and Spirit is given to human beings to understand.  If we, as human beings, and creations of God, are limited in our capacity to perceive and to understand the infinitude of God, well so we are also created to be nevertheless in communion with God.  And it is love that links us all, just as the Father's voice declares that "this is My beloved Son."   Let us consider the power of love to destroy every barrier, even as Christ through the Cross will destroy the barrier of death.  For God so loved the world that God works even through all of creation:  the water and all that is in it, even every living thing sustained with it, in order to come closer to us, to be revealed to us, and to heal us within this communion of love.   Moreover, study bible tells us that today's event in our Gospel reading is a rebirth or renewal of the entire creation.  Therefore, we are reminded of what Genesis teaches us about that creation in the first place, that "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).  That God works within all of creation through which God is revealed to us is an affirmation of that "very good" pronouncement of God, and a revelation to us as creatures.  We are not separate; in fact, we are called into deepening communion as that which is "very good" with our good God of love.  To fulfill all righteousness implies the fullness of communion, the proper  relatedness between all.  All of creation participates in this baptism, as we see in the icon:  there are angels present who watch and minister, we see the fish in the water, and down below is even a personified image representing the waters of the world that feed into this Jordan.  This is for every living thing; for the life of the "world" which is cosmos in the Greek.  Let us live that kind of life and remind ourselves often that indeed it is good. 

He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

 - Matthew 17:1-13

Yesterday we read that from the time Jesus was revealed to His disciples as the Messiah at Peter's confession of faith, He began to show to them that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves . . .   A high mountain, my study bible says, is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (5:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18).  It is a kind of preparation for what is to happen that this passage begins in such a way.

. . . and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  This event of today's passage is called the Transfiguration, for the divine light that appeared in His person.   This event is what is called a theophany, meaning a manifestation of God, and particularly of the divinity of Christ through this display of His uncreated, divine energy, symbolized by the light.   Because God is light (1 John 1:5), the bright cloud (verse 5), the shining of Jesus' face like the sun, and the whiteness of His garment, all demonstrate that Jesus is God.  In some icons, this light is shown as one that is beyond what we understand as a full-spectrum white -- it is shown as a blue-white, ineffable color, indicating its spiritual origin.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Where Christ is, so is His Kingdom, and the completeness of the kingdom of God is here.  Moses and Elijah present us with the fullness of revelation and also the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1).  According to my study bible, Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- as he did not experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  Their presence shows to us that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament.  Both Moses and Elijah are immediately recognizable to the disciples, and they talk with the Lord.

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; . . .    My study bible tells us that the Transfiguration not only proclaims Christ's divine sonship, but also foreshadows His future glory, when He as the Messiah will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  The bright cloud is a recollection of temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, as the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  Peter sees this as a sign that the Kingdom has come.  He knows the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Hebrew Sukkot) as the feast of the coming Kingdom, and so he asks to build tabernacles (tents), as was done at that feast, which serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom. 

. . . and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  The Father bears witness from heaven also concerning the Son.  My study bible points out to us that the Father does not say, "This has become My beloved Son," but rather "This is My beloved Son" which indicates that this divine glory is Christ's by nature.  From eternity past (John 1:1 "In the beginning was . . ."), infinitely before Jesus' Baptism and Transfiguration, He is God's Son, who fully shares in the essence of the Father.  Jesus Christ is God of God (Nicene Creed). 

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  The events of today's reading are a manifestation of the Holy Trinity:  Christ is transfigured, revealing Him as Son, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of a dazzling light surrounding the person of Christ and overshadowing the whole mountain.  The disciples respond to this overwhelming experience with a natural fear.  As in other circumstances (for example, this reading), the Jesus they know is suddenly present to them, teaching them, "Do not be afraid."

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  Jesus refers to the return of Elijah in John the Baptist, and the experience that Peter, James, and John have just had gives them understanding of His words.  Their eyes are opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one who comes "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.  Jesus emphasizes again, after the extraordinary experience and revelation of truth on the mountain, that He will suffer just as John the Baptist suffered.

After an astounding experience, perhaps the greatest spiritual experience possible for human beings -- the revelation of the Trinity, the communion of saints, and the manifestation of God's Kingdom -- the disciples respond with fear, and are immediately brought back to the realities of this world:  the Messiah will suffer.   Many of us would wish for such an experience, or transcendent and uplifting experiences of our faith.  Many saints have been granted such, as well as many faithful we don't know as saints.  Our experience of our faith is within us, and one way and another we feel the helpful and transcendent presence of Christ, the help of the saints and all those alive in the Kingdom in prayer, and the ever-creative and new work of the Holy Spirit in our world and within us.   But we live in the world even as we are taught to be not "of" it.  The cruelties and humiliations of the worldly perspective continue.  We don't live perfectly charmed lives regardless of our faith.  In fact, it is the greatest saints among us who are frequently the most humble.  And in today's reading, Christ Himself emphasizes that He will suffer, as did John the Baptist, the greatest of all of the prophets.  At the Last Supper, Jesus promises to the disciples, and to all of us by extension, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  As those who may participate and live and manifest the life of the Kingdom in our lives, we faithful are called to be in the world -- experiencing the world and its hostility to this Kingdom as it truly is. We may be set apart for something, but we will experience everything, as our faith is truly found in the participation in the fullness of Christ:  His life, death, and Resurrection.  Again, at the Last Supper, John's Gospel gives us Jesus' teachings to the disciples:  "Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20).  It is important that we understand our faith as conferring this extraordinary light to us, even in the known experience of the saints and through the prayers of the faithful anywhere.  It lives within us, and we are to be light carried into the world as well.  In the  Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (5:14-16).  Let us understand that this is the expression of our faith; we live a life acknowledging the reality of the events of Transfiguration, whether or not others around us recognize it or accept it.  Let us hold that light within ourselves and live it, even in a world that remains hostile to what it cannot see.

Suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tied 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 from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

- Matthew 3:13-17

Yesterday we read that when John the Baptist 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 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 tied 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.  My study bible notes that Jesus does not need purification.  But by making the purification of humanity His own, He would wash away the sin of humanity, grant regeneration, and even reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  His baptism was therefore necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  Gregory of Nyssa has written, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."   By His baptism, Jesus signals His full humanity, the taking on of all the righteousness and fulfillment of the Law in humility and obedience, just as He will take on suffering and death.  But there is more happening here:  He sanctifies the waters of the world for the Christian baptism that is to come by water and the Holy Spirit.

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. As Genesis tells us that the Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation (Genesis 1:2), here the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God.  It is the beginning of the new creation, my study bible says.  But Jesus does not "become" the Son of God this day; rather this is a revelation that He is the Son who is and always was (see John 8:58).  The Holy Spirit resting upon Him is an eternal reality.  In the Eastern Church, this day is known as Epiphany (a manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (a manifestation of God).  In the early Church, the celebration of Christ's Nativity (Christmas) was celebrated together with His Baptism (Epiphany or Theophany), the beginning of His public ministry.  To this day, the Armenian Apostolic Church continues this tradition on its historical date of January 6th.

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

The Baptism of Christ seems to fulfill a number of important roles.  It is first of all a new birth, just as Christian baptism is also a new birth.  The world is regenerated via Christ's "fulfillment of all righteousness" as part of His taking on of the fullness of human life for the plan of salvation.  The world is "reborn" as in Genesis when the the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters, fulfilled as Creator -- the Son and Word -- is revealed via the vision of the Holy Spirit's descent and the voice of the Father.   The Trinity itself becomes manifest and revealed to all.   God is revealed among us, so that by fully becoming one of us we may healed through union with God.  Here at the beginning of this mission, the start of Christ's public ministry, He is baptized by one who has spoken of Him by saying, "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry" (see yesterday's reading, above).   Humility is on display in the great graciousness of this mission of Christ and how it is conducted.  Our God condescends to be with us in love.  When we commemorate this Baptism, we should understand its depth and complexity, and yet it is so much done in total simplicity.  In this place there is no fanfare such as accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem.  He simply appears at the Jordan to John the Baptist, who at this point is the only one who knows who the Christ is.   Jesus has no followers and no disciples, His mission first is to "fulfill all righteousness."  Jesus will later say of John, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (11:11).  It is a crossroads, a turning point, and yet the fulfillment of all things nascent here.  In the grace of baptism, we receive a new birth.  It is Jesus' righteousness, and John's holiness that allows us to begin a baptism of water and the Spirit available to all the world.

Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

 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 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 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.  My study bible tells us that Jesus doesn't need purification.  But by undergoing baptism, He makes the purification of humanity His own; He washes away humanity's sin, grants regeneration, and reveals the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  Thereby, His baptism is 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."  We notice John's humility; he only baptizes Jesus when Christ commands "permit it to be so now," and He pronounces it "fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

 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 from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  My study bible reminds us that at the first creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the water (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.  In this baptism which "fulfills all righteousness," Jesus is revealed as the eternal Son of God.  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon Him.  The quotation of the voice of the Father is from Psalm 2:7:  "You are My Son,/Today I have begotten You."  The baptism of Christ becomes a revelation of the Holy Trinity:  the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Incarnate Son is baptized.  In the ancient Church this was celebrated together with Nativity on the feast day of Epiphany.  Epiphany means manifestation or revelation;  this event is also called Theophany (which means a manifestation of God).  It is celebrated on January 6th, both commemorating this day and pointing to the age to come.

Jesus' baptism begins His public ministry.  It is for that reason that the ancient Church coupled the celebration of His birth with Epiphany; both are births.  But just as a pregnancy lasts nine months, and by the time a baby is born, it is the fulfillment of what we know has been generating in the mother's womb, so Christ's baptism is not really "just" a beginning.  It is a manifestation, as its name implies.   It is a fulfillment.  It is God "filling out" and taking shape and making more substantial to us the reality of God's work in the world, God's presence in creation.   In revealing or manifesting the Trinity, we are given a deeper and fuller perception of God.  These are not just abstract and far away concepts, ideas set out by philosophers.  They are rather manifest, made tangible, audible, seen as images.  The reality of God forms and shapes God in our world for us to grasp and to come to know, more than we knew before.  This is the movement of the Incarnation, and it is the fullness of the movement of God in the world, who has come to us that we might better know God.  We will know God's love, and Jesus will leave us with the command to "love one another as I have loved you."  The fullness and shape and manifestation of God comes to us as part of the whole spiritual history of God at work in the world, and so that we may participate more fully and deeply in God, becoming "like God."  We will be invited to participate in the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ, an ongoing and ever-fulfilling promise.  The baptism of Jesus meets us with the spirit of the Gospels, the fulfillment of promise, the fullness of God given to us, shaping and giving us depth in the understanding that God is a Person with whom we are engaged in relationship, the three Persons in One giving us an image of just how deeply communion goes.  This manifestation happens in a natural way, understood by those who can receive it, and giving us its fruit as we are given our own baptisms which produce spiritual fruit through the time of our own lives.  This promise of manifestation is also given to us in order to more fully form and shape and give dimension to the persons we can become, as we too participate in the "fulfillment of all righteousness" (John 3:5-8). 

What is this? What new doctrine is this?

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

- Mark 1:14-28

Yesterday we read the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, according to St. Mark.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.   Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  Mark puts emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus began preaching.  This reveals, my study bible tells us, that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare the people for Christ -- had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ has come, the time of preparation is fulfilled.  To repent is to do an "about-face," my study bible reminds us.  The word is Greek is metanoia, and it means literally to change one's mind."   Repentance is an ongoing experience, and brings with it "a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought and heart -- a complete reorientation" to a life that is centered in Christ.

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  These first disciples, we know, had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist.  Therefore they were prepared to accept Christ immediately when called.  My study bible reminds us that although illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  My study bible notes that the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel.  Almost all of these occur before Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  There is a sense of urgency and purpose in this brief Gospel, as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world.  Mark's Gospel is not only the shortest, but it is also the most direct of all four Gospels.  Here, one more "immediate" effect of Christ is the response of the spirit world, usually hidden from human beings.  His power expressed through authority is astonishing to the people, as commander of the unclean spirit it is amazing and revelatory of His divine nature. 

 In addition to urgency, the repeated use of the word immediately gives us a sense of God's manifestation in the world.  This is not a gradual, slow growth.  It is not something which we're prepared for in small doses.  It's a suddenness.  Although Israel has been prepared throughout its history by the prophets for this moment, each prophet's words have also been startling, amazing, astonishing -- and often greeted with disdain, especially in high places.  That's what prophets do, they shake up the order and the firmly-in-place assumptions and practices that need shaking up.  Christ's appearance -- and this very beginning of His ministry -- comes on suddenly and shakes everything up.  How startling and astonishing is His authority (for He has not studied with a famous rabbi, nor does He teach in anyone else's name).  How incredible is the experience of the appearance of the unclean spirit and the words that come out in the temple about the identity of Jesus, "the Holy One of Israel."  Even more explicitly amazing is Jesus' command of the spirit itself, in full force and with full expediency warning the unclean spirit to "Be quiet!"  And commanding that the spirit "come out of him!"  The manifestation of God is not something fuzzy and wishy-washy and uncertain.  It is quite certain, takes definite form, brooks no compromises in its portrayal.  There is nothing left to guess here.  God manifests in a concrete and particular way, making God's presence known in the world in ways that tell us something.  It's all the gospel, it's all the good news -- it is an announcement of something that is revealed to the world.  God announces God's presence in assertive ways and on no uncertain terms, to teach us something, to give us a message, to let us know what it is that we need to know -- and then to leave us to decide how we're going to respond.  This doesn't work the other way, where we get what we think we're prepared for and ready to hear and accept.  We don't get to wait until we're good and ready.  The announcement is one-sided, the instruments and form and shape of it all is unequivocal.  God manifests as a human being, in this particular place, from the heritage of this spiritual lineage, in order to present to us something.  That is why we read the Gospel -- because this is the story we're given, and it's not up to us to augment or change or fudge the details because somehow we don't quite understand the story or it doesn't fit our expectations.  God presents God in forms we need to accept and accommodate, that are meant to expand what we know and what we can consider and even who we think we are.  Jesus commands the spirit, but God commands our attention.  Let us be amazed and astonished as is only appropriate.  The people ask, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?"   Surely this is the only way to meet the good news of God's appearance in the world.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

- Luke 3:15-22

Yesterday, we first read Luke's Preface to his Gospel.  Luke writes:  Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.   The lectionary then skipped to chapter 3:   Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.   And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin 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 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."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."   My study bible reminds us that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the Holy Spirit, given to the world at Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-4).  But John also declares the judgment of Christ.  The unquenchable fire that burns the faithless is the same fire of God, the Holy Spirit.  They are one.  It is the same Power and the same Spirit, says my study bible, which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  As Christ put it Himself (see Saturday's reading), all depends on acceptance or rejection of this fire, this light, His word, the life of God.

 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  Herod the tetrarch is also known as Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great.  He had divorced his own wife and married his brother Philip's wife, Herodias, while his brother Philip was still living. 

 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  What is the purpose of the baptism of Jesus?  He doesn't need it for repentance.  But His baptism accomplishes several things, says my study bible.  First, it's an affirmation of John's ministry.  In addition, the Father and the Holy Spirit reveal Him as the Christ, God's beloved Son.  Jesus shows that He is one of us, God with us, by descending into the waters with the people.  It is a prefiguration of His own death, which gives baptism its ultimate meaning of death and rebirth.  Jesus' entering the waters works to sanctify the waters of the world for future baptism for all.  In addition, this is a fulfillment of many types given in the Old Testament, such as Moses leading the people from bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the ark of the covenant carried into the Jordan so people could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3, 4).  Finally, heaven was opened to a world separated from God through sin.  By tradition, the Baptism of Christ was celebrated from the early Church on January 6th, the day of Epiphany.  This event is an Epiphany ("Manifestation") or Theophany ("God revealed") -- a revelation or "showing" of the Trinity:  the Father's voice, the descent of the Holy Spirit, Christ revealed as the Son.  My study bible says this is the greatest and clearest public manifestation of God as Trinity in human history.  The words spoken by the Father apply also to all who are baptized and live faithfully; sonship is bestowed by adoption and implies not gender but inheritance (Galatians 4:4-7).  The Holy Spirit descending like a dove isn't an incarnation, but it is a visible sign, a "showing," for the people.  This appearance, says my study bible, fulfills the type prefigured at the Flood.  St. Theophan writes, "Just as a dove announced to Noah that God's wrath had ceased, so too the Holy Spirit announces here that Christ has reconciled us to God by sweeping sin away in the flood waters of baptism."

A simple act:  a baptism in the waters of the Jordan.  We don't know how many people witnessed this scene.  We certainly know that it was revealed to John the Baptist, who in turn will guide his disciples to Jesus.  Jesus prays, and this event becomes a moment not just for the world, but for the entire cosmos of creation, for heaven and earth.  Instantaneously, we can perhaps presume, there is the descent of the Holy Spirit together with the voice of the Father.   Who saw?  Who heard?   To what degree was it immediately understood and by whom?  What matters is that we understand and are given the understanding.  But in an instant, an act of baptism becomes news for a universe, for dimensions -- if you will -- of life beyond what we know.  Heaven and earth are linked in this moment of revelation, of "showing" to the world, that the Son is in our midst, God is among us.  It is news for the angels and for all the world:  the great good news that links all things.  And this is the powerful word and insight here:  that in what may appear to be an insignificant moment to those who can't see, who don't know, who haven't taken notice, the world of creation is shaken.  A powerful event has taken place.  God is brought forth as human being into the world.  There could not be more momentous news, not for heaven and not for earth.  All the various significance listed above and mentioned by my study bible do not exhaust the potentials inherent in this scene, the meanings imparted to all of us by Jesus' baptism.  What does it mean that it comes at the hands of another human being, John the Baptist, chosen and living as the last of the Old Testament prophets?  What does it tell us about God's love, that this should happen for us, this great descent of God as one of us?  The baptism links all the waters of the world in potential for holiness and blessedness, fit to carry the Spirit to each one of us, and to unlock all the potentials we each must have as "sons of God" as well.  A moment in time unlocks the power of everlasting life for each one who will come, who will live His way, follow His path, find the image He gives us.  Inexhaustible love flows from this event.  And that's the great key:  no one can assume limitation where God is present, we do not know to what extent the gifts flow from this single revelation or manifestation of God.  What we can do is assume that we can't assume, that this gift will continue to give to each what can't be calculated on human terms nor limited by our assumptions.  That is the real power of life in abundance, and we enter into it by prayer as did Jesus.  The one and the many are manifest in the Trinity, and in the prayer of Christ into which we also are invited.