In this place, past, present and future are interwoven. Here God and man meet in the journey of redemption. The Old and the New Testaments meet, bound together in this redemptive line. Thus, all of time is a single reality, without division, a reality of spirit and faith, which becomes more firmly rooted in the hearts of believers as time passes.

The area of the baptism site is a holy place that has a mysterious “life” of its own, as if it were a haven of the Spirit. Here the Spirit continuously bestows that life and revives those who believe in Christ.

The prophetic periods succeeded uninterrupted, one after another, and generated a tangible history beyond symbols. When the Messiah arose, the shadows of the ancient symbols disappeared. What remained, was the reality of God and the reality of revelation in the path of redemption.

Upon Mount Nebo, God revealed Himself to Moses, as He had previously revealed Himself at Sinai, and Moses stood and looked over the Promised Land stretched out in front of him. He was allowed to enjoy the vision of this land before he encountered, through death, the celestial Promised Land. He saw the Jordan River before him, descending from the heights of Mount Hermon into the depths of the Jordan valley. The river would give life to the surrounding trees and vegetation and quench the thirst of men and creatures while it awaited the events that would occur along its banks in the path of redemption.

After Moses passed away, Joshua, the son of Nun, crossed with the Israelites into the Promised Land, and this crossing was a symbol of Christ’s crossing, with all of humanity, from death to life crossing from the slavery of sin to the freedom of being fogiven by God.

But soon after their entrance into the Holy Land the people turned from the worship of God and took to worshipping strange gods. God sent to them many prophets to bring them back to true belief in His oneness and observance of His commandments. One of the most famous prophets was Elijah, who lived during the time of the rule of King Ahab in Israel. Ahab and his wife oppressed Elijah, and when Elijah grew old, God inspired him to leave and settle in what is today Jordan. So he left with his appointed successor, Elisha, who carried on his spirit and message. When they arrived at the River Jordan, Elijah struck it with his cloak and parted the waters of the river. He and Elisha crossed the dry land, and as they were speaking together upon the other side of the river, a fiery chariot came and carried Elijah into the heavens. (2nd Kings: 2)

Time passed and the Babylonian armies crossed the river heading toward Jerusalem. They besieged and occupied the city. The Babylonian army transferred the people of the city to Babylon, but after some seventy years, the captives were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it and worship the one God therein.

Again, hundreds of years passed and John the Baptist appeared at Bethany (Bayt ‘Anya) on the far side of the Jordan River (John 1:28 & John 10:40). He continued the path of faith and took the message from Moses – representative of the Holy Law – and from Elijah – representative of the prophets of the Old Testament (Luke 1:17). John was the last prophet in the manner of the Old Testament prophets and the first prophet of the New Testament. He called the people to repent in preparation for the arrival of Christ, the Redeemer, and began to baptize in the Jordan River and the surrounding springs. The baptism he administered was a symbol of repentance and belief in God. Fleeing the authorities because of his sermons, he made for Bethany beyond the Jordan. He would sleep and rest in a cave close to the springs of the Valley of Kharrar (what is today known as “Saphsaphas”) and the cave of Elijah. The Bible states that here people from Jerusalem, Judea and the surrounding regions of the Jordan flocked to John for baptism.

Around this time, Jesus left Nazareth, went to Bisan and crossed the Jordan River to the east bank. He slept his first night near Pella (the region of "Tabaqet Fahel"), continued his journey on the eastern side of the Jordan valley until he reached Bethany beyond the Jordan and went to John for baptism. Jesus joined in the line of penitents asking for baptism, yet he was pure, free from all sin. He was the one who would say to the Jews, “Who among you can provide evidence that I have committed a sin.” John knew of Jesus from the revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 1:32). John, however, objected to baptizing Jesus saying, “I am the one that needs you to baptize me!” But upon Jesus’ continued insistence, John acquiesced and baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. Therefore, the water of the Jordan River became holy and all the waters that flow along the baptism site were purified, reviving the souls of people at every place and time and saving them from the slavery.

As Jesus was coming out of the water, he saw the heavens open up and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. He heard a voice from above say, “You are my beloved son with whom I am well-pleased.” Then the Spirit took Jesus into the wilderness where he remained for forty days, and where Satan tempted him. In the wilderness Jesus dwelt among the wild beasts, but the angels looked after him.

Then the Jews in Jerusalem sent some of the Scribes and Pharisees to question John, and John said to them, “I am not the Messiah, I am only a voice crying out in the wilderness saying, ‘Follow the path of God and make firm His path.’” (John 1:24)

After Jesus came back from the wilderness to Bethany beyond the Jordan, He found John sitting with two of his students. When John saw Jesus he said to his students, “This is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Hearing this, the two students decided to follow Jesus and were in turn followed by three others, among them Peter.

Jesus carried the torch of faith from John the Baptist, the torch that had also been carried by Moses, Elijah and the other prophets. From Bethany beyond the Jordan Jesus declared the good news of God, saying, “The Hour draws near and the Kingdom of God is at hand! So, repent and have faith in the good news of God!”

Jesus loved his stay across the Jordan at Bethany. He had beautiful memories of his time there and made many friends. After returning to Jerusalem, a dispute developed between Jesus and the Jews during the festival of the renovation of the Temple. When this happened Jesus fled back across the Jordan to Bethany where John was still baptizing. The people warmly received Jesus and many came to him from the surrounding towns and villages, from Salt, Amman, Madaba and Hisban. They brought their sick to him. He cured them, and many people came to believe in him.

From Bethany beyond the Jordan Jesus returned to Jerusalem only to have to flee again, this time to Ephraim (al-Tayyibah) near Ramallah. Later he returned to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and the events of his passion, death and resurrection would follow.

God has granted to the land of Jordan many special places. The north of the country can boast of the homeland of the Prophet Elijah, and in the northern and central regions they take pride in the fact that Christ performed many miracles there and preached in their towns. The south is also very proud that John the Baptist was martyred in “Mekawer” Castle, which is south of Madaba. In the Jordan River John baptized Jesus and there he met five of his disciples, including Peter. From here he set out preaching about the Kingdom of God, beginning the public part of his life.

The Christians are descendants of this land and the inheritors of faith in Christ. They treasure the heritage of the Prophets and the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Redemption. They related these things to the generations of Christians who came after them and who hailed from far away lands. All of these places—the churches built in memory of the baptism of Jesus, the site of the celestial ascension of the prophet Elijah, the Jordan River, Bethany beyond the Jordan, the hermit cells, the pilgrims ’ station, the wilderness of John the Baptist and all the other discovered sites—are places for spiritual contemplation and worship, and the faithful make pilgrimages to these amazing sites, where they encounter the Spirit and receive blessings from the earth and the water of this land.

Bethany beyond the Jordan was on the pilgrimage route between Jerusalem & Bethlehem to the west and Mount Nebo to the east. Pilgrims and historians have left us with their precious notes throughout history. We can see how closely their accounts and what is mentioned in the Gospels correspond with the archaeological and architectural discoveries, along with what is depicted on the mosaic map of the Holy Land.

In the second Christian century, Melton who was the Archbishop of Serdees, said, “I traveled to the Orient. I saw the places mentioned in the Bible, and everything became full of spiritual meaning.” In the third century, these holy places became of interest from a scholarly perspective. The most important teacher of the time, Origen, came to Palestine for the purpose of studying and tracing the steps of Christ and the Prophets. In his writings, he mentioned Bethany across the Jordan, and he believed that it was the same as Bayt ‘Abara (The Place of Crossing) where John was baptizing. According to the 6th century mosaic map in Madaba, Bethany and Bayt ‘Abara are different sites. Bayt ‘Abara is depicted west of the Jordan River, but Bethany beyond the Jordan (Saphsaphas) is depicted east of the river Jordan, opposite Jericho city. We believe that the place that the Prophets crossed throughout history is the place where Jesus came and was baptized by John, who lived east of the river according to the gospels.

At the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth, the famous Church historian Eusebius mentioned certain Gospel sites in his geographic dictionary, Onomasticon. He mentioned that many of the brothers in Christ, who were desirous of rebirth, were baptized in the Jordan River or submerged in the flow of the living river in imitation of Christ who was baptized in this same place.

An anonymous pilgrim, who arrived from Bordeaux in 333, and another pilgrim named Theodosius in 530 (as well as others) described the baptism site of Jesus, indicating that the place where Christ was baptized was five miles from the Dead Sea. They also mentioned the small hill that lies to the East of the river as being near the site of the baptism, as well as being the place from which Elijah ascended to Heaven. Theodosius also described the church of John the Baptist, which was built on vaults & arcs during the reign of the Emperor Anestasius (A.D. 491- 518) to prevent any damage that might be caused by the flooding of the river. Recent archeological excavations have uncovered remains of the piers over which the church was built on the eastern bank of the river. Pilgrims mention a marble column implanted in the middle of the river bearing the sign of the Cross (as an indication of where Christ’s baptism took place). Antoninus of Piacenza wrote in 570 that the site of Jesus’ baptism was opposite the monastery of Saint John adding that marble steps led to the bank of the river where Jesus was baptized. A detailed description of the pilgrims ’ accounts is given in the paragraph entitled "The place where Jesus was baptized".

From ancient times, visiting these Holy sites and obtaining the sacrament of baptism in the River Jordan has been a sign of worship, prayer, and the renewal and strengthening of the vows of faith. These rituals remain a sacred tradition, and on the feast day of the Baptism (Epiphany), as part of the celebration, the Holy Cross is submerged in the waters of the river. Today, east of the river, memorial churches stand to commemorate the baptism of Christ. Near the spring of the Kharrar valley is the cave of John the Baptist. Archaeological and architectural remains preserve the memory of Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John baptized his followers and where Jesus went to meet him. Here, monks live lives of piety and reverence, abstaining from the world, and praising and glorifying God.

The ancient realities of faith are always present and always new. The Christians, as the are the inheritors of faith, preserve the ancient traditions, making pilgrimage to the Baptismal site each year to commemorate Christ’s baptism, John the Baptist, the sacred site of Bethany beyond the Jordan and the Prophet Elijah. In March of 2000, Pope John Paul II, the successor of the apostle Peter, became the first Pope to make a pilgrimage to this very site, where Christ first met Peter. He blessed the people there with water drawn from the river, water that is sacred for every Christian. At the end of his prayer, as he bid farewell to the Jordanian people, he said, “I will remember the people of Jordan in my prayers, Christians and Muslims together, and especially the sick and the aged. I beseech God to bless his majesty, the King of Jordan, and all the people. God bless you all, and God bless Jordan.”