The last day we were in Jordan, John and I made a Pilgrimage of sorts – to the spring at Bethany-on-the-Jordan – to the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Here we are at the site.




Logic and recent (circa 1996) archeaology almost guarantees that this spot was where Jesus and John the Baptist actually entered the water. This view is of a spring, and the water from it used to join the Jordan in this spot. (After Syria and Israel put up their various dams, the Jordan shrank significantly, which is why you don’t see the rushing waters right now.)

If John the Baptist had picked any other spot, he couldn’t have baptized anybody, because the Jordan was so swift then that people would have been swept away.

It was an amazing sight – and very moving.




“Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’

“For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

“Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”




“…and he said

‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming
after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand,
and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat
into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ “

“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”

~ Matthew 3: 1 – 17

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 11:33 and is filed under Meanderings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.