Justin Appel
Dear Friends,
In today’s gospel lesson we read a short account of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan (John 1:29-42). This event was called the theophany in Greek-speaking portions of the early church, which, like the more familiar epiphany, denotes the ‘revelation of God’. Thus, Jesus’ baptism is the central event of the Epiphany season, following Christmas.
In my house, I have a beloved icon of the Theophany, and I have found that looking at the form of this icon reinforces some important doctrines. This isn’t the primary function of an icon, I must clarify. They aren’t simply supposed to teach us something by static observation. They actually present to us the situations and individuals present. They are doors or windows into eternal realities, and wherever icons gather, we see our family, gathered around to pray with us.
Nonetheless, icons can also be most helpful for teaching, and they allow us to experience certain truths in an embodied fashion. Here are a few elements of this icon to meditate on:
(Click Here for a link to the Theophany Icon)
Although Jesus is central to the image, this is an icon of the Trinity. God the Father speaks from the top of the image, and his uncreated energies move down, as the Spirit of God, depicted as a dove, hovers above Christ’s head.
Jesus is presented in his complex identity. He is a man, and often painted naked in these icons, highlighting the goodness and wholeness of the human body united to the spirit. But simultaneously, the pronouncement of God the Father and the Spirit’s presence indicate that Jesus is also divine, and the angels gathering on the opposite bank prepare to receive God’s Son from the water.
Even John, sometimes called John the Forerunner, looks not at Jesus, but up at the Father, while Jesus’ hand forms the traditional symbol of blessing, indicating that John acts in obedience.
Jesus stands in the water, but is not totally engulfed by the water, even as it flows by in wild, swirling, blue lines. Creatures swim toward the bottom of the image, indicating the connection of this river to the sea, and to the larger world. In fact, Jesus was not actually baptized in the river. Rather, he baptized the river himself, sanctifying it and all of creation. This is one of the traditional birthplaces of Christian Holy Water rituals. Christians have often harbored the impulse to keep blessed water in churches and at home to sprinkle, mark, touch, and even drink, recalling the fact that God makes his creations holy. This isn’t superstition, friends; it’s good, solid Christian theology! So the next time the holy water hits your face in the service, you can cross yourself and thank God for Christ’s gift of redemption, both of the world and of your precious soul.
The little man/angel sometimes situated under Jesus’ feet is Satan, defeated.
Uncomfortably, a tree and ax appear in the lower corner of this icon, depicting John’s words of warning to us all. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. What is that fruit? One word: repentance.
To recap: Christ’s divinity and humanity, the Trinity, the sacrament of baptism, the defeat of Evil, the goodness of creation, and our duty to repent, all in one image! I hope you find this a rich scene to contemplate.
Blessings,
Justin