Theophany The Festival of Lights

Feast of the Holy Theophany of Christ

The icon of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, depicts His Baptism by St. John the Baptist, who served as the Forerunner, who came to prepare the way for “who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:7-8

In the icon, we see the Feast which celebrates the Baptism of Christ and the divine revelation of the Holy Trinity. During the Baptism of Christ, the three persons of the Holy Trinity are revealed or manifested : God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This commemoration is celebrated yearly on January 6 th.

Another interesting picture depicted in this icon is the tree and hatchet on the lower left portion. The tree and hatchet refer to the verse in Matthew 3:10: “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.” This tells us that if we do not live a fruitful life, including repentance, confession and baptism, then our lives are ‘fruitless’. The hatchet at the bottom of the tree represents Christ chopping down a ‘fruitless life’.

In this section of the icon, we see St. John the Baptist conducting the Baptism of our Lord. The icon shows the water above Christ’s head, which signifies the form we use during our Orthodox baptism; by complete immersion, not sprinkling.

St. John, the Forerunner, who came before Christ, taught repentance and told of “the One who would come after him”, and “Who would baptize, not with water but with the Holy Spirit”. He is seen dressed in camel’s hair clothing. He lived in the desert for many years and has the look of the wilderness upon him. He is seen reverencing Christ, and beckons others to Christ. Christ can be seen blessing the waters of the River Jordan with His right hand.

As Christ is being baptized, the Heavens open up, the Father’s voice is heard: “This is my Son, of Whom I am well pleased.” We also see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, descending over our Lord.

At the top of the icon, we can see the opening of the Heavens, the revelation of the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of God the Father, proclaiming Jesus to be His Son “of Whom He is well pleased/”

Here, we are shown that Angels of the Lord have gathered on the shore of the River Jordon to give praises to Christ.

In the part of the icon showing the Angels of God looking on as Christ is baptized and waiting for Christ to emerge from the River Jordan, we see the love and reverence shown to our Lord. The Angels bow their heads in worship and awe for all they have witnessed. Even the Heavenly Host show their belief in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This portion of the icon reveals an Angel of the Lord awaiting to receive Christ as He comes out of the River Jordan.

Each Epiphany, as many young men dive for the Cross of our Lord, they all will chant the Troparion, which explains all that occurred on this Blessed Day: Apolytikion: (First Tone) Lord, when You were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father gave witness to You, calling You Beloved; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of His words. Glory to You, Christ our God, who appeared and enlightened the world.