Orthodox Sermons & Articles

Today, dear brothers and sisters, we celebrate the Sunday after the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was baptized by St. John the Forerunner not because He needed to be baptized but because He wanted to demonstrate to us that whatever He asked of us to do, He was willing to do first. So, if we do not want to follow the steps of Jesus because we are intimidated by the "heavy burden", then we should study Christ’s Baptism. As Jesus never sinned, He had no need in Baptism; however, He went through this experience simply to show us the necessity of it.

What did John ask of the people who came to him to be baptized? First of all, he asked them to repent, to cut off every possible thread of sin. Then he told them not to go back to a sinful life. This was John’s Baptism. As the most significant prophet of the New Testament, he knew about the Son of God. When Jesus came to be baptized, John knew that there was no need for Jesus to receive his baptism, but rather that Jesus should baptize him, as He considered himself as unworthy (even to untie the laces on Christ’s sandals). But after his conversation with the Son of God, John humbly performed the baptism to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Immediately after the baptism "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matt. 4:1). We who are baptized into Jesus’ Name need not be defeated when temptations come along because, like Jesus, we are aided by the Spirit. "The wilderness" is the battleground, a picture of the world, at once the abode of demons and a source of divine tranquility and contemplation. Living in this world, living in this so-called "wilderness" requires strong faith and love to all. Only when we achieve such a state will we be able to conquer all temptations and sinful desires and come closer to Jesus Christ the Savior.

So as John knew Jesus, likewise did Jesus know John. Their spiritual relation was very close. First John and then Jesus were in the wilderness exercising spiritual warfare against the powers of evil. As a prophet, John knew about the Messiah’s coming and he recognized Him, when He came. St. John the Evangelist noted in his Gospel: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29)." As John witnessed about himself, that he was the one who was to prepare people of Israel to receive the Messiah. "I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord" ‘ as the prophet Isaiah said" (John 1:23). So, the relationship between Jesus and John was as between the Lord and His prophet: they knew one another very well.

Now, when Jesus came out of the desert He discovered that John was in prison. We all know that John was seized because he disclosed the great sin of king Herod who unlawfully was living with his brother’s wife. John was taken by the soldiers and put into prison so that other people on this matter would not hear him. So, Jesus saw that it would be better to start His ministry away from Jerusalem as the people there and the Jewish leaders were not of a mindset to listen to Him. If they seized John the Baptist and did not listen to Him, then it was better for Him to go to start with the provinces. Jesus, therefore, departed to Galilee. "And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali" (Matt. 4:13).

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, the last few Sundays in which we were talking about St. Matthew the Evangelist, where he showed in his Gospel that in Jesus Christ all the prophecies about Messiah were fulfilled? In today’s Gospel lesson we discovered that an additional prophecy about the Messiah was fulfilled when Jesus moved to Galilee. Isaiah the Prophet said: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who set in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Matt. 4:14-16). Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior! He is the Light for those in darkness of sin! He is our Light and our Savior, dear brothers and sisters!

So, when Jesus came to Capernaum He began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). He addressed these words not only to the people of Israel. These words are the words of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE. We need FAITH to believe in God; we need HOPE to wait for Christ’s promise; we need LOVE to stay with God no matter what happens to us. These three things will bring us to repentance.

Dear brothers and sisters, let’s write these words of Jesus Christ in our minds so that we can see them clearly every day. Let’s repent deeply and follow His steps to spiritual perfection. Let’s exercise faith, hope and love and try to help others to discover the fullness of spiritual happiness in Christ Jesus. Let’s introduce church life to those who would like to know about it and to our close relatives. Let’s follow Christ’s steps and call ourselves Christians not in words only but also in deeds. Amen.