Section 24
Jesus' baptism by John
Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River
Matthew 3:13-17
Mark 1:9-11
Luke 3:21-23a
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Permit it for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted him.
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
16After being baptized, Jesus immediately went up from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
10Immediately as he was coming up from the water, he saw the heavens being split apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11Then a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus had also been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.” 23aJesus was about thirty years of age when he began his ministry,
Notes
Jordan River
The name Jordan, or yarad in Hebrew, means “to go down...to descend.” From the time it leaves its main sources at the foot of Mount Hermon, it drops 2,600 feet to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface. Its course follows the largest fault zone on earth, the Great Rift Valley, which begins in Turkey and extends to East Africa.
The melted snows from Mount Hermon which spring forth at Dan and Caesarea Philippi are the main source of the river. As the river runs down toward the Sea of Galilee, the volume of water increases as several small tributaries and springs contribute to the flow. About 264 billion gallons of water flow through the Jordan River each year.
After the Jordan River exits the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, it meanders 125 miles (although the distance in a straight line is only 65 miles) to the Dead Sea. The depth of the river varies with the season as well as by region. At some points it is as shallow as three feet, in other places 10 to 12 feet. In the spring, however, the Jordan used to be “at flood stage all during the harvest” (Joshua 3:15). Today about 90 percent of the Jordan flow has been diverted for domestic or agricultural use.
The southern part of the Jordan attracts few tourists because it straddles Israel and the country of Jordan. Just above the Dead Sea, across from Jericho, near what the Bible calls “Bethany beyond the Jordan,” John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River (John 1:28).