A few days remain until the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on the eleventh day of the Coptic month of Tuba (January 19th on the Gregorian calendar). This feast is known in Greek as “Theophany,” signifying the “Divine Manifestation”. It commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by Saint John the Baptist in the River Jordan, as recounted in the Holy Scriptures. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””
St. John the Baptist is one of the prominent characters in the Epiphany day. He is one of the greatest characters in history for Christ Himself has witnessed that He is more than a prophet, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. Prophet Malachi has prophesied about him saying that his coming would precede the awaited Messiah, “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.“
And the birth of John the Baptist was miraculous indeed. His parents, Zechariah the priest and Elizabeth, were both righteous and advanced in years. While his father was ministering in the temple, “an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.’” Thus the child was named John, which means ” Yohanan, meaning “graced by God”, and it was declared that he would be a joy to many, great in the sight of the Lord, and his mission would be to call the people to repentance and turn many back to God in a time of great darkness and wickedness.
“And Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, ‘…But you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace’“
John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus Christ. His life was endangered when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and under. When the soldiers came to carry out the decree, the infant John was carried away to the wilderness and lived there until the time of his public ministry, when he called the people to repentance and return to God. “Now the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing to Israel.” His life, even from childhood, was arduous, spent in solitude in the wilderness, yet he was comforted by God’s constant care.
As for his ministry, though brief, it was powerful and effective. Crowds flocked to him at the Jordan River, confessing their sins. He urged them to do good works and show mercy. And for the sake of truth, he fearlessly confronted even powerful figures. When King Herod desired to marry Herodias, his brother’s wife, John boldly declared, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” He remained steadfast in his proclamation of the truth, which ultimately led to his imprisonment and beheading, making him a martyr of the faith.
This is “John the Baptist,” the prophet who humbly confessed his unworthiness to baptize the Lord Jesus, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” And who, when his disciples told him that all men were coming to Jesus, said, “A man can receive nothing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, butthat I am sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoicesgreatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is full.He must increase, but I must decrease…”
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
