This Sunday is the first in the season of Epiphany, which lasts six more weeks until Ash Wednesday, February 22. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation” and especially emphasizes that Christ was manifest to the world as our Savior, and particularly to the non-Jewish world.
At the Baptism of Jesus, He was made manifest to the world as the One whom John the Baptist had been preparing for, namely the Messiah (The Anointed One). He was anointed then as our Prophet, Priest, and King. This is recounted in our Gospel lesson.
Jesus would go on to institute this sacred washing as a sacrament, a means by which the Holy Spirit would give and strengthen faith, wash away our sins, and impart the righteousness of Christ. Through baptizing and teaching the church carries out the benediction of Isaiah upon the Christ, that God would make Him “a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
We see this very thing carried out in our lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, where in the city of Philippi the jailor and his whole household were taught and baptized and came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. To this day, God continues to work through the gospel and through the sacrament of Holy Baptism to give and strengthen faith, so that His kingdom comes and His will is done to the salvation of men, women, and children.
