The Jordan River rises on the slopes of Mount Hermon, to the north, and descends about 250 kilometers before flowing into the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface.
It runs through the Sea of Galilee and forms the central axis of the Holy Land’s geography, separating the tribes that settled east of it from those that stayed to the west.
In the Bible, the Jordan is the setting for decisive crossings. It was the last barrier the people of Israel crossed, led by Joshua, to enter the promised land after forty years in the desert.
Its waters also witnessed the healing of the general Naaman and the passage of Elijah and Elisha between this world and the next.
In the New Testament, the Jordan takes on even greater weight. There John the Baptist preached repentance, and there Jesus was baptized, publicly receiving the Father’s approval before beginning his ministry.
More than a geographic feature, the Jordan runs through the whole Bible as a symbol of crossing, purification, and new beginning.
