tures:
Fr. Tomás 2004
Jordan River
Pictures:
Fr. Tomás 2004
The Jordan River is between Israel and Jordan flowing southward from the mountainous area where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet, through Lake Kinneret to the Dead Sea.
The most common
explanation for the name of the river is that it derives from the Hebrew words
yored Dan ("descending from Dan").
From its sources, the Jordan flows into the Kinneret, rapidly falling below sea
level. South of the Kinneret, it flows down the Jordan valley, a dry area far
below sea level which can be one of the hottest places on earth. The Jordan is
for most of its length a narrow meandering stream, impossible to navigate by
boat. Since the tribes of Israel under Joshua crossed the Jordan to enter Erez
Israel after the Exodus from Egypt, the Jordan River has come to have a deep
significance for Jews, symbolizing the gateway to the homeland after years of
wandering in exile in the desert.
The Bible relates that Joshua led the Israelites to a place across the Jordan
from Jericho, and that the waters suddenly and miraculously stopped flowing,
enabling the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land. Folklore and mythology
have popularized the Jordan as the gateway to Paradise, and crossing it is seen
as stepping from a world of troubles to one of peace. The river is also
important to Christians because John the Baptist performed baptisms on its banks
and Jesus was baptized there.
(picture from “The Land of Jesus p.40 & 41)
Jordan is a modern country, a holy river, and an ancient culture, a timeless
physical
and spiritual panorama of prophets, miracles, and human faith. The very name
of the country JORDAN retains the unique baptismal aura of a holy river and a
blessed land. God's command of righteousness and his promise of eternal love and
peace through faith are deeply etched into the earth and memories of Jordan.
Visitors and citizens daily walk through the plains, valleys, hills, mountains
and streams whose names were forever fixed into human consciousness by the
simple deeds and the profound messages of prophets: Abraham, Moses, Lot, Aaron,
Elijah, Joshua, Jesus, John the Baptist, and others who walked this land and
crossed its river during their missions on earth. Many of the sites where they
performed miracles or reached out to ordinary people are identified, excavated,
protected and easily accessible to visitors.
Meandering through the Jordan Rift Valley is the River Jordan, a sacred stream of numerous symbols and historical events. The Prophets Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ all crossed it during their lifetimes. The area alongside the river associated with their deeds, just 45 minutes by car from Amman is easily accessible to visitors once again, thanks to new facilities and the impact of the Jordan Israel peace accord of 1994.
The large loop in the Jordan River opposite Jericho has long been identified as the spot where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. It is called Al-Maghtas in Arabic. The importance of Al- Maghtas returns to the worlds preparations for celebrating the third millennium of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the
meantime the Jordanian archeological department is occupied with the
completion of exploring this historical and religious site. Furthermore, Al-Maghtas
is clearly located on the mosaic map found in Madaba church near Mount Nebo,
which was discovered in the middle of the sixth century.
Less than two kilometers east of the river is another important place associated
with the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist - the settlement of Bethany, where
John lived and baptized. John 1:28 refers to it as "Bethany beyond the Jordan,
where John was baptizing." In John 10:40 it is mentioned as the place to which
Jesus fled for safety after being threatened with stoning in Jerusalem: "Then
Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in
the early days."
When Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism, he may well have
been in the stark, desolate marl area immediately east of Jordan River and north
of Bethany. He spread his message throughout Jordan on several different
occasions, including during his last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Matthew
19).
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