The Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan River marks the end of a mysterious period in the Savior's life, from infancy to the age of 30, and the beginning of His public ministry. In theological interpretation, the moment of the Lord's Baptism symbolizes the boundary between the Old Testament and the New Testament, between the old law and the law of grace that began when Christ descended into the Jordan River and sanctified human nature, and through it all creation.
The Holy Scriptures guide us to understand that the beginning of the Messiah's ministry was prefaced by the sermon of John the Baptist: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). The Gospels account that John administered the baptism of repentance or the baptism for the remission of sins. Saint John the Baptist also confessed that he was not the Messiah, but was preparing the way of the Lord, the One who is before him: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to wear his shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). John believed that he was called by God to be the Forerunner: "He that sent me to baptize with water, the same hath spoken unto me" (John 1:33).
John the Baptist’s destiny, centered on the prophetic words, "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30) is fulfilled after the wonderful act of the Lord's Baptism. The event at the Jordan River shows that the Savior was ready to fulfill the mission for which He came into the world. The sanctification of human nature assumed by Christ through the incarnation had reached a decisive moment. Since the birth of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has poured out continually upon the human nature assumed by the Son of God, and raised it to the stage where it can receive from God exceptional gifts and the strength to fulfill the mission “And the child grew, and was strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).
Today God, the Almighty, humbles himself to share with us His riches, hidden in the treasure of Baptism. The water in which Jesus Christ was baptized is the water in which we also have been baptized. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”, says the Apostle Paul. And as many as we clothed ourselves in His Baptism, we clothed ourselves in His death and resurrection.
There are many people who have received the Sacrament of Baptism into the Orthodox Church as adults, and they confess what they felt after Baptism: great relief and joy... a rebirth of the soul... to a new life with God.
The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan is a celebration of my Baptism. A baptism that I already received many years ago. The Sacrament of Baptism is my reception into the great family of the Church of Christ. And when I say the Church of Christ, I'm not just talking about the people of the earth, but about everyone in heaven. Through Baptism, I Silviu, a small and insignificant man, get to be in the great Family of God, with Him, with the Mother of God, with the Cherubim and the Seraphim, Angels, Apostles, Prophets, Great Saints, all those who loved, listened to and served God. The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan reminds us that repentance is what draws upon us the mercy of God, and the Holy Spirit thus cleanses our hearts. The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan is the beginning of the salvation of us people. It is the appearance of God in the world. The baptism of the Lord is about my life lived according to God’s commandments.