Todaywas an amazing day. First we drove about an hour away from Amman to the JordanRiver to the place called Bethany beyond the Jordan. This river separatesJordan from the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel. We went to the locationwhere John the Baptist baptized Jesus and saw many different churches eitherbuilt or under construction by various denominations surrounding this significantplace, including the largest Catholic Church in the Middle East…it was currentlyunder construction. This was such a cool experience to see where Jesus wasbaptized and where John the Baptist lived and had his ministry. John is referencein the Bible in Matthew 11:7-14:
“As John’s disciples wereleaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go outinto the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you goout to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes arein kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you,and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will sendmy messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. ’Truly I tellyou, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John theBaptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Fromthe days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has beensubjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all theProphets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to acceptit, he is the Elijah who was to come.
I actually saw the dry barren desert and the lushvegetation on the edge of Jordan River in sharp contrast to each other…includingreeds swaying in the wind referenced by Jesus. John was referenced in thispassage by Jesus as the Elijah to come and it was interesting that both Johnthe Baptist and Elijah had ministries in the same area. Not far from the Baptismsite, meaning less than a mile, scholars and archeologists think Elijah wascaught up to Heaven on a Chariot of Fire. They called this place Elijah’s Hill.Both prophets had similarities in what God commissioned them to do on earth andthe location in which they ministered! The scriptures come to life so much morenow because I can visualize so many of the places referenced in the Bible. Thetour guide said that lions even ran wild in Jordan up until about 300 yearsago. I didn’t know that! But the Bible said that King David killed a bear and alion with his bare hands. So much history, facts and Biblical significance inthis beautiful country!
Cory touching the water at the Jordan River
Rich vegetation at Elijah’s Hill near the Jordan River
Largest Catholic Church in the Middle East under construction at Bethany beyond the Jordan
Elijah’s Hill where Elijah was caught up to Heaven
From the Bethany beyond the Jordan, we went to the cityof Madaba and had lunch at Haret Jdoudna. This city was known for having alarge Christian population and still does to this day. After lunch, we touredSt. George’s Greek Orthodox Church and saw a mosaic showing a map of the HolyLands from the 6th Century A.D. It was magnificent. It took over 2million tiles to create it.
Lunch at Haret Jdoudna…very good Jordanian food!
St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church
6th Century Mosaic of Holy Lands
Inside the Church
The next stop on our tour was Mount Nebo. This mountaintop was the place where most scholar’s believe Moses overlooked the PromiseLand of Israel, but could not enter. The Bible says Moses climbed to the top ofthis mountain and died and his body was buried in an undisclosed location. Atthe top of this mountain I could see the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley andover into Israel. The views were so majestic…one could literally see for milesand miles. At the top of Mount Nebo there is a monument, a museum and a monasteryfor monks who oversee the site.
On the way up to Mount Nebo, we encountered camels crossing the road
From Mount Nebo overlooking the Promise Land
Mount Nebo
Memorial Stone at Mount Nebo
Evangelical Pastor from India visiting Mount Nebo (Cory knows no stranger, just a friend he hasn’t met yet!!!)
After a long day of seeing many significant Biblicalsites, our group went to an amazing hotel near the Dead Sea called Ma’in Hotel.This hotel is at the base of natural hot springs in a canyon. The watertemperature is about 100 degrees Fahrenheit and gets incorporated into the poolat the hotel. Words cannot describe, no pictures do justice for the beauty ofthis place. We ate dinner outside on the patio overlooking the water fall andonce the sunset, I could see the lights of Jerusalem off in the distance.
Ma’in Hotel overlooking landscape from balcony
Hot Springs falling into the pool
View from hotel toward Jerusalem
I truly feel so blessed and honored to be on this tripand wish each of you could be here with me. Maybe I need to lead a tour of theHoly Lands with all of you! Now that would be very cool!
