Another of the special places we visited was the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. There we renewed our own baptismal vows, and one of our members who had never been baptized was. It was so renewing and inspiring.
The River Jordan runs along the entire eastern border of Israel. It’s distance from the headwaters in the mountainous area where Israel, Syria, and Lebanon meet, north of the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea is about 120 miles. All its twists and turns add more than 80 miles to its length. Over its course, it descends about 1500 ft. into the Dead Sea making it have the lowest elevation of any other river in the world. In most places it is only about 25 ft. wide. It forms the border between Israel and Jordan in the north and the West Bank and Jordan in the south.
The site where Jesus was actually baptized is believed to be in Jordan. We visited the West Bank side of the river.
Jericho
In the Jordan Valley on the West Bank is the city of Jericho. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and has the oldest known defensive wall. Settlements date back to 9,000 BCE. Old Jericho is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is described as the “oldest fortified city in the world.” It is 846 ft. below sea level.
In the heart of the ancient city, a solitary sycamore tree stands as a symbol of profound spiritual significance. Known as the Tree of Zacchaeus, it commemorates the encounter between Jesus Christ and a tax collector named Zacchaeus that changed Zacchaeus’ life.
The huge sycamore tree is in the middle of the garden of the Russian Museum and Park Complex situated in the so-called “Joseph Land Plot,” which has belonged to Russia since 1883. Its presence in the heart of Jericho invites reflection on the power of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the transformative effect of encountering the teachings of Jesus.
Mt. of Temptation
On the steep side of Mt. Temptation, overlooking Jericho and the Jordan Valley, is the Monastery of the Qurantul or Monastery of the Temptation. This is the spot where the Bible says Jesus resisted Satan for 40 days in the desert.
It is an incredible feat of engineering; the monastery is cut into the cliff face with dramatic views over the Dead Sea to Jordan. Its oldest parts date back to early Christian times. Monks and hermits first lived in natural caves, which they turned into cells, chapels and storage rooms.
A Greek Orthodox monastery was built on the ruins of a Hasmonean-Herodian fortress in 330 CE. The monks abandoned the site after the Persian invasion of 614.
The present Monastery of the Temptation, reconstructed at the end of the 19th century, seems to grow out of the mountain. The northern half is cut into the almost sheer cliff, while the southern half juts out into space. A medieval cave-church, on two levels, is built of masonry in front of a cave. In the monastery is a stone on which, according to tradition, Jesus sat during one of his temptations.
We took a cable car up Mt. Temptation to a landing. From there a path with about 270 steps leads up to the monastery.
