The Theophany or Epiphany - the baptism of Christ

know, until our Lord Jesus Christ stepped into the water of the Jordan to be baptised by St John. Then the word of the Father bore witness, and the truth of that word was confirmed by the Spirit. And Christ began his redeeming work by trampling on the heads of the dragons that lurked there; the prayer of Isaiah was fulfilled as the arm of the Lord awoke: the arm of the Lord that had hacked Rahab in pieces and pierced the dragon through.

The river Jordan, where it flows through the valley to the Dead Sea, is the lowest place on the surface of the earth. And Christ descended to the lowest place to purify the water of monsters and of evil, and at the same time to take our sins upon him. He went into the water to make it holy so that when we go into the water we can become holy as he is. When he went into the water he was reclaiming the earth from the evil one, and asserting his right as creator. He was reclaiming water, andf by extension all of the material world, or nature, and redeeming it from the power of the evil one.

After his baptism, Christ, like the people of Israel, goes into the desert, and there he encounters the devil, who, having been expelled from the water, takes him to a high mountain, yet still claims the earth and its kingdoms as in his gift. Possession may be nine-tenths of the law, but it is not ten tenths, and possession does not make the devil the true owner.

The Theophany then is the manifestation of Christ for who he really is, the saviour of the world. It is the manifestation of the Trinity, one and undivided. And its the beginning of his saving work on earth as he confronts the powers of evil in the water, and reclaims the water for God.

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