The sacred texts of the New Testament tell about the most important events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. The story of the baptism of the Savior is found in the three gospels, the authors of which are the apostles Matthew, Mark and Luke.
It is known from the sacred texts of the New Testament that the baptism of Jesus Christ took place in the Jordan River in Jerusalem. The Holy Prophet John the Forerunner baptized the Savior Himself.
John's baptism was a symbol of repentance and confession of faith of the Jews in the one true God. Every person entering the waters of the Jordan first confessed their sins, and only then came out of the water. Christ, having reached the age of thirty, also proceeded to John for baptism. However, the Savior himself did not need to confess his faith in God (Himself) and repent of sins, because the difference between Christ and other people is obvious in the sense that Jesus has no sins. It turns out that the baptism of Christ can be called formal. It was a kind of symbol that Christ does not reject the teaching of the Jews about God. Jesus does this mostly for the rest of the people.
John the Baptist did not want to baptize Christ, because he understood that he himself needed to receive baptism from the Savior. However, Jesus commanded John to perform this rite.
The Gospel tells that Christ immediately came out of the water, because there was no sin in him (there was nothing to confess). At the same time, the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove. and the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven, claiming that Jesus was His beloved Son, in whom all the good pleasure of the Father was. Only after baptism did Christ go out to preach publicly.
The event of the baptism of Jesus Christ is expressed in the feast of Orthodoxy, also called the Epiphany. Celebrations in honor of this event take place in all Orthodox churches on January 19 (new style). There is a tradition to consecrate water in churches on Epiphany Christmas Eve, as well as on the day of the holiday itself.
