January: Day 6: Teaching 3: The Baptism of the Lord

January: Day 6: Teaching 3:
The Baptism of the Lord
 
(Why Did the Holy Spirit Appear at the Baptism in the Form of a Dove?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Listening to the Evangelists' account of the baptism of Jesus Christ and the appearance of the entire Holy Trinity at the Jordan, one cannot help but notice the form in which the Holy Spirit appeared during the Lord's baptism. Why did the third Person of the Holy Trinity — the Holy Spirit — appear at the Jordan in the form of a dove, whereas during the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, He appeared in the form of tongues of fire?

II. To understand this question, we must consider the circumstances under which Jesus Christ was baptized. The Evangelists relate that when Saint John the Baptist appeared in the desert preaching repentance, people of all ranks and walks of life came to him, confessed their sins, and, as a sign of purification, were baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. Thus, it was clear to everyone that those baptized in the Jordan were sinners who had previously confessed their sins. Jesus Christ came to the Jordan to be baptized by John, not because He needed it, but to set an example for us of caring for our souls and our salvation. Just as water washes away dirt and all impurity from the body, so confession of sins before the servant and messenger of God cleanses our souls of sins if we acknowledge our guilt before God, grieve over it, and resolve to avoid sins whenever possible. It was obvious to all who came to John the Baptist that Jesus Christ had been baptized. Not knowing that He was God and therefore sinless, they might have assumed that Jesus Christ had confessed His sins before His baptism. And so, to testify before all people that Jesus Christ, though baptized, was sinless as God, the Holy Spirit took upon Himself the form of that being that serves as a symbol (i.e., an image) of purity and innocence — the form of a dove. Thus, at the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit took upon Himself the form of a dove to show people that the baptized Christ was free from all sin.

III. From this explanation, imprint in your mind and heart the thought that the Holy Spirit descends only on saints, but He cannot dwell in sinful people because sin prevents Him from uniting with our souls. This is why, in the prayer to the Holy Spirit, we ask Him to come, cleanse our souls from all sinful defilement, and dwell within us. If people consider it impossible to live in a dirty place, then even more so the Holy Spirit, Who is the purest being, cannot dwell in a sinful soul, as in an unclean house. Therefore, every Christian must carefully take care to cleanse their souls from sins. If we ourselves are unable to cleanse ourselves of sinful defilements, then at least we should think about this more often in prayer to Almighty God, to the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, and cry out daily: "O Heavenly King, Spirit of Truth, come and cleanse us from every defilement, and save our souls, O Good One." When they become a worthy dwelling place for the Spirit, then they will be prepared as an eternal dwelling place for the Most Holy Trinity: the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen! 

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.