Jordan River 

The Jordan River has major significance in Judaism and Christianity. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan. John the Baptist, standing in the river, preached repentance, and the remission of sins through baptism to prepare for the coming kingdom. The Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land to celebrate their escape from slavery in Egypt. The river has come to symbolize freedom from all forms of slavery.

In Jesus' life after his baptism, it facilitated key meetings, teachings, and travels throughout his mission, embedding it deeply in the narrative of his public preaching tours.

The Jordan River is 156 miles long, running north to south through the Sea of Galilee and on to the Dead Sea. It is sourced from a stream that flows from the northwestern foot of Mount Hermon in Lebanon.

Today, Jordan and the Golan Heights border the river to the east, while Israel and the occupied West Bank lie to the west. The name Jordan and the West Bank were derived from the river. Lake Galilee was the main water source for Israel until around 2010 when desalinated seawater from the Mediterranean became the primary source. The Jordan Valley is tropical, and home to several national parks.

Scholars have concluded that the site called Al-Maghtas, also called Qasr al-Yahud, was probably where Jesus was baptized by John. This sits on the east side of the river, which the Bible refers to as “beyond the Jordan,” and close to the city of Jericho, and on the way to Jerusalem. In 2015, the site was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

When Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the census, they stopped the first day around the foothills of Mount Gilboa by the Jordan River.

After Jesus graduated from the synagogue schools, he was able to attend the Passover, and his parents journeyed to Jerusalem with him for this momentous occasion. That year, the Passover feast fell on Saturday, April 9, 7 CE. Walking through the lush Jordan Valley, Jesus had a panoramic view of the sparkling Jordan River moving in ripples flowing toward the Dead Sea. By the fourth day, they climbed the hills leading up to Jerusalem. From a vantage point near the top Jesus could look across the river and see the sluggish waters of the Dead Sea to the south.

In Jesus’ eighteenth year, 12 CE, he took his brother James to the Passover in Jerusalem, again enjoying the vistas of the Jordan River.

In March of 25 CE, John began his ministry of baptizing and preaching. John chose a busy location near the entrance to the ford (crossing) of the Jordan which was the most frequently used. Just above the Dead Sea and opposite Jericho, this river crossing was the nearest to Jerusalem. It is an ancient ford, the one that Joshua and the children of Israel passed when they first entered the promised land. John crossed over this ford onto the east side and there stood in the Jordan River and preached to the people to be cleansed of sin through baptism to prepare for the coming deliverer.

Near the end of Jesus’ thirty-first year, he returned to the boat-building shop in Capernaum to keep busy until the timing was right for him to proclaim his message. Rumors reached Jesus about John’s preparatory work as John slowly worked his way up the Jordan Valley.

On Sunday, January 13, 26 CE, Jesus laid down his tools and announced that his hour had come. He headed down to Pella with his brothers James and Jude to be baptized by John. The next day at noon, John baptized Jesus in the Jordan. After baptizing Jesus and his two brothers, John dismissed the others waiting in line stating that he would resume tomorrow. The four remaining in the water saw an apparition over the head of Jesus and heard the voice of the Father.

Jesus began his public work on January 20, 27 CE at the point on the Jordan River near Pella where John the Baptist had set up camp about a year before, the spot where John baptized Jesus.

With cities situated on either side of the Jordan River, crossing over via fords was not uncommon. Jesus and his apostles viewed and crossed over the Jordan River throughout their ministry. The apostle Thomas resided at Tarichea which sits on the west bank of the Jordan where it flows out of the Sea of Galilee.

On August 9, 29 CE, Jesus and his apostles traveled to Caesarea-Philippi, a beautiful setting nestled between scenic hills where the Jordan poured forth from an underground cave. Mount Hermon dominated the view to the north. To the south one could see the upper Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.

On September 26, 29 CE, Jesus and his apostles headed to the Feast of Tabernacles. They stayed in a little village near the Jordan ford, crossed the river in the morning, and headed to Jerusalem.

On February 26, 30 CE, Jesus learned of Lazarus’ passing. Jesus and his apostles crossed the Jordan ford to Bethany, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus then returned to the Pella camp and journeyed back up. Here, Jesus continued teaching the multitude at the camp.

On Monday, March 13, 30 CE, Jesus and the apostles took final leave of the Pella encampment. At the river crossing called Bethany or Bethabara, Jesus delivered a sermon on "Counting the Cost.” About half of the thousand disciples abandoned Jesus after this sermon and crossed the Jordan ford and went to Jerusalem. Jesus and the apostles visited cities in southern Perea for over two weeks. Jesus then crossed the Jordan ford, which heads directly to Jerusalem, at Passover time, to meet his enemies directly.