Jordan Baptism

Church of John the Baptist

At the Jordan River

Brett's Baptism

We arrived at the Jordan River just north of the Dead Sea, still on the Jordanian side of the border at about noon. The first thing we could see was the Church of John the Baptist with its shining gold pinnacle. It is a small Greek Orthodox Church built on the site of 5 previous churches dating back to the 4th century. The church marks the place on the river where Christian pilgrims believed John the Baptist preached and baptized. The river is much smaller today than it was centuries ago, so the exact place in the river identified as the place John baptized Jesus is dry. We saw the excavation site of the first church built here and the original stone steps that went down into the river.

The Jordan River itself is not such an impressive site, but contemplating the events that happened at or very near the exact spot where we were standing was moving. At this place the Israelites crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. This is the place where John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus the Christ and baptized him. One of the young guys in our group, Brett, was baptized in the Jordan. It was a great moment. The water was muddy and cold so Sandy and I opted for the “sprinkling” baptism experience.