Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/thanasus Where Was Jesus Baptized in the Jordan River?Īll four gospels describe Jesus’ baptism taking place on the banks of the Jordan River at the hands of John the Baptist, his cousin ( Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-21, John 1:6-34) It's probable that John the Baptist baptized Jesus and others in one of these shallow pools or inlets on the eastern side of the river. Prior to reaching the Dead Sea, the Jordan River creates a geographical border between Israel’s West Bank and present-day Jordan to the west. Once exiting the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River winds through the Judean countryside, fed by two major tributaries, the Yarmouk and Jabbok ( Genesis 32:22) to the east, until it eventually connects with the Dead Sea, where it ends. It was also a key location in the ministry of Jesus ( Matthew 4:13-22, Mark 4:1-34, Matthew 13:2, Matthew 5-7) and the setting for some of his greatest miracles ( Mark 5:21-43, Luke 8:22-25, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:16-21) The Sea of Galilee, sometimes referred to as Lake Gennesaret ( Luke 5:1) or Sea of Tiberius ( John 6:1, John 21:1) is only about a day’s walk from Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up ( Matthew 2:19-23). Today, the nearly 156 miles of the Jordan River flow southward from Mount Hermon, located on the border of modern-day Syria and Lebanon, and drain into the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The Jordan River ( Ha-Yarden in Hebrew) is an important geographical feature in the Middle East and key location in the history of Israel and the Bible. Not only did Jesus’ baptism serve as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and a confirmation of his divinity as the Son of God, the baptism of Jesus is generally seen as the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. It is a source of conflict between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.The Baptism of Jesus Christ, described in all four Gospels, took place in the Jordan River, just a few miles north of the Dead Sea and roughly six miles east of Jericho. The water from the Jordan is a very important resource to the dry lands of the area. All the shallow waters of the southern end of the sea have been drained in modern times, and are now salt flats. Because of this, and the high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea, the sea is shrinking. In modern times, 70% to 90% of the waters is used for human purposes and the flow is much smaller. Syria has also built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. This caused great damage to the ecosystem. Also in 1964 Jordan built a channel that takes water from the Yarmouk River, a main tributary of the Jordan River. In 1964, Israel began operating a dam that takes water from the Sea of Galilee, a major Jordan River water provider, to the national water carrier. Two major tributaries enter this last section from the east: the Yarmouk River and Jabbok River. The last section has less gradient, and the river begins to twist before it enters the Dead Sea, which is about 400 meters below sea level and has no outlet. Then it drops much more in about 25 kilometers to the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan drops quickly in a 75 kilometer run to Lake Hula, which is a little below sea level in the Galilee sea. The four rivers join to form the Jordan in northern Israel, near kibbutz Sede Nehemya. The Ayoun ( Hebrew: עיון ayoun, Arabic: عيون ayoun), which flows from Lebanon.The Dan ( Hebrew: דן dan, Arabic: اللدان leddan) with its source at the foot of Mount Hermon.The Banias ( Hebrew: חרמון hermon, Arabic: بانياس banias), that comes from a spring at Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon.The Hasbani ( Hebrew: שניר senir, Arabic: الحاصباني hasbani), which flows from Lebanon.Many people think it is one of the world's most sacred rivers. The Jordan River ( Hebrew: נהר הירדן nehar hayarden, Arabic: نهر الأردن nahr al-urdun) is a river in Southwest Asia that flows through the Great Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean littoralĪnti-Lebanon Mountain Range at Mount Hermon, Golan Heightsīanias River, Dan River, Yarmouk River, Zarqa River Hebrew: ירדן (yardén, " descender"), from ירד (yarad, " descended") The Jordan River runs along the border between Jordan, the Palestinian West Bank, Israel and southwestern Syria.