On Saturday, before we went to the Dead Sea to relax by the water, we visited the historical site of Jesus’ baptism. It’s absolutely amazing to think that archaeologists could uncover such an old site. When we walked out of the bus after a 45 minute drive and the heat hit us like the pressure of deep sea diving, the sun pounding down in a way I’ve never experienced before. The actual baptism site is about a quarter mile from where the Jordan river is now. As I looked at the rock steps that led down to the actual baptism site, I felt immensely grateful for being able to see this with my own eyes. I’ve never been a very spiritual person, but being in a place that is so important to so many people around the world humbles you. I thought of how happy my family would be to know I had to chance to see such an important place. As we moved farther west, to the actual river Jordan, churches were made visible above the tree line. The river itself, while considered holy by many people, was not very clean. The river was about ten to fifteen feet wide, with Palestine on the other side. There was a little building on their side of the border, as there was on ours, and both sides had a 3×10 portion of the river sectioned off by buoys. I waded into the river, as did a few other people, but left soon after. While it was a fairly brief experience, it was such a wonderfully humbling one that I will never forget.
The Historical Site of Jesus’ Baptism.
