Theologians explained when believers celebrate Epiphany in Ukraine

From the sacred history of the Old Testament, we know that for many centuries God sent prophets to the people. These were righteous men endowed with a special gift of testimony who called people to obey God’s commandments, exposed sins, and warned about the future. Thanks to the prophets, the people had the opportunity to realise their mistakes, return to God, and prepare for the coming of the Saviour.

As theologians explain, several centuries before the birth of Christ, the prophetic word gradually ceased. Great prophets such as Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, or Jeremiah no longer appeared. The last prophet of the Old Testament was Malachi. He predicted the coming of the Forerunner, who would be the herald of the Messiah and prepare the people for His arrival. Malachi calls him an ‘angel,’ that is, a messenger of God who will bring important news to the people.

In the year when Christ came to be baptised, John the Forerunner appeared on the banks of the Jordan. He preached to the people about the imminent coming of the Messiah and called on them to repent, purify themselves spiritually, and correct their lives. John was called the Baptist because he performed the ritual baptism of those who repented: people immersed themselves in the waters of the Jordan River as a sign of purification from sins. The word ‘baptism’ literally means ‘immersion in water.’

John’s baptism was an Old Testament rite of purification that involved physical washing, cleansing of clothes, and spiritual conversion. This baptism was not yet the sacrament of Christian baptism, which grants forgiveness of sins and renewal of the soul. John preached to the people that through repentance, they could prepare themselves to meet the Messiah and accept His salvation.

When Christ came to the Jordan, John initially refused to baptise Him because he saw that Jesus was sinless and did not need purification. He said, ‘I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Christ replied that it was necessary to fulfil all righteousness. After that, John allowed Christ to be baptised, testifying to His divine nature and mission as Saviour.

The spiritual meaning of Jesus’ baptism is that He did not come to purify Himself, for He was sinless, but to sanctify the water and the whole world. Through His baptism, Christ sanctifies creation, taking upon Himself the sins of humanity and opening the way for the purification of all people. Just as water physically cleanses the body, so repentance and faith in the Messiah cleanse the soul.

Thus, John’s baptism took on a new meaning: it became not only a sign of purification from Old Testament sins, but also a preparation for salvation through Christ. The Saviour accepts baptism as the Son of Man in order to take upon Himself the sins of the world, sanctify humanity, and restore the unity of man with God the Creator, which was lost through the Fall.

The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is the moment of God’s appearance among people in incarnate form, a symbol of the beginning of a new spiritual life for all humanity. It shows that the Saviour came not for his own purification, but for the salvation of the world, taking upon himself the sins of every person.

‘To God be the glory forever and ever!’ – the message says.

We remind you that believers learned about the Pokrovskaya Church in Kyiv. The shrine is an important symbol of the religious and cultural life of the capital, attracting the attention of not only believers, but also tourists and historians.