The Feast of Lights is so called to celebrate the illumination of the world by the light of Christ. It is celebrated in the East on January 6th and recalls Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan at the hand of John the Forerunner. St. John had been preaching to the people, preparing their hearts for the Messiah by his message of repentance and his baptism of repentance. John’s baptism, however, was not the same as the baptism that Christians receive today. It was a ritual washing to symbolize one’s repentance from their sins and their desire to turn back to God with all their heart. By his preaching, St. John prepared Jesus’ first disciples for him.
Jesus came to John to be baptized. Jesus did not need to do so because he was sinless, but he wished to identify in every way with sinners. In fact, when Jesus came to John, John resisted him saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Mt 3:14) Jesus did not deny this argument, but simply superseded it: “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3:15). John consented and baptized him. Jesus also, according to Tradition, was baptized so as to cleanse and purify water in preparation for Christian baptism. His baptism prefigures his death, since this event marks the beginning of his public ministry and his road to the Cross.
In the icon, Christ stands at the center, commanding our attention. He is naked, symbolizing his self-emptying love and sacrifice. This will be shown again at the crucifixion, when he is stripped down and nailed to the Cross. He is depicted as strong and beautiful, standing straight up to show us that even in this act of abasement, he is Lord and God. Even the river seems small in comparison, barely wider than Jesus himself. Jesus is surrounded by water, symbolizing his total immersion. John’s objection “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” is answered by Jesus’ right hand, which is giving a blessing. He gazes at us, the viewers, telling us know that he does this for us, and not for himself.
Beside Jesus is John the Forerunner with his hand on top of Christ’s head, having pushed it under the water to baptize him. He is often shown bowing, to show that he is lower than Christ and though he is performing the action, he recognizes that Jesus does not need it. He is shown to be as rugged as the wilderness from which he came. Behind him is a bush with an axe at its roots, symbolizing John’s preaching of repentance (Lk 3:9).
John’s eyes look up to the heavens, where he witnesses the descent of the Holy Spirit above Christ (Jn 1:32-34), coming from the mandorla, which symbolizes the Father who is saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:11). We thus see in this icon the meaning of the word Theophany, which means “revelation of God.” We see in this image the manifestation of the Trinity: the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and Jesus is baptized. To the right of the river stand four angels, their hands veiled and ready to receive the newly revealed Son of God.
Below Jesus we see two figures who ride on fish and appear to be fleeing Christ. These are the Jordan (left), shown as an old man, and the sea, who is shown as a woman with a crown or a sea monster. This is to fulfill the words of David, who said, “The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back” (Ps 114:3) at the presence of the Lord. This also connects this event with a past event- the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites into the Promised Land, in which the waters of the Jordan parted when they crossed. By being baptized, Jesus leads the way into the Promised Land of everlasting life. Around Jesus, we see fish, symbolizing us Christians, who now swim in these purified waters by our own baptism. 
Ultimately, this icon is about Christ’s self surrender to the plan of the Father for us. It is the anticipation of his death, but also of our baptism into life. We have descended with Christ into these waters and have been baptized with him in his death. Christ desires that we foster this divine gift. Will we heed him?
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To see other icons of the Theophany, see below (click to enter the gallery).
The Slave of the Immaculate 