The River Jordan

And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him: and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Mt 3:16-17.

Like so many other landmarks in the Holy Land, the Jordan has its superlatives. The Jordan is a meandering river that takes 200 miles to flow a course of only 65, starting out as melting snow from Mount Hermon in the north, feeding the Sea of Galilee and another Lake Huleh, before finally ending up in the Dead Sea. It is the world's lowest river, reaching a depth of nearly 700 feet below sea level at the Sea of Galilee and 1,286 feet below sea level when it ends in the Dead Sea.

It is the most important river in Palestine and the most significant river in scripture. Who hasn't heard of Jesus' baptism by his cousin, John? Or of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, bathed in rays of light, as God introduces His Son? Most significant is the trinitarian event that occurred before so many present that is, the voice of God the Father and the sight of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus' arrival on the scene, John was baptizing for the removal of sins, but Jesus was without sin and John was reluctant to baptize Him. Jesus' response, Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness Mt 3:15. For Christians, Jesus' anointing by the Holy Spirit and commissioning by God the Father is the cornerstone of our faith. It is the start of His ministry. From here on He proclaims the Kingdom of God.

We hurried to the Jordan in the evening, as the sun was beginning to set. Father was going to have us re-enact our baptism (for you are baptized only once), and as there were nearly forty of us in the group, he wanted to do this while there was still light. Naturally, I had not known what to expect, so I was surprised to see so many people there at that hour of the evening. Some were being completely immersed in the river; others were just having water poured over their heads. Many were wearing long white gowns. We looked like tourists, most of us wearing the yellow caps the guide had given us to wear so that he could find us easily and we could spot each other. We carried our cameras of course and all the other unnecessary stuff we had collected that day.

Father led us to a spot the guide indicated. We sat down facing the river, which looked very green to me after the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee . It was a peaceful river; I could barely detect its movement, and the cool breeze that was blowing was barely discernible. Had it been blowing harder, we would have felt cold.

Father asked me and another person to read from the gospel of Matthew. Then we said a prayer. We all took off our shoes and one by one, we stepped into the river. Taking a small amount of water in a conch he had brought for us, father poured water over our heads and prayed the baptismal prayer. We were so quiet, I could hear the silence.

Afterwards, I felt light as I do when I step out of the confessional. None of us said much. We were lost in our own reverie. We had just renounced Satan. What more can be said? Two thousand years ago, Jesus had allowed John to immerse Him in these very waters! I could almost hear John's voice, Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. How awesome is that?