Symbolically and spiritually, the Jordan River in the Middle East is of mighty significance to many. Physically, the Lower Jordan River of today is simply not the same.
ALONG THE JORDAN RIVER — Kristen Burckhartt felt overwhelmed. She needed time to reflect, to let it sink in that she had just briefly soaked her feet in the water where Jesus is said to have been baptized, in the Jordan River.
Close 1 of 13 Syrian Christian Zuhair Al-Sahawi immerses his hand in water at the Bethany Beyond the Jordan baptismal site on the east bank of the Jordan River in Jordan on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Tourists visit Al-Maghtas, known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River in Jordan on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. UNESCO has declared Bethany Beyond the Jordan a World Heritage Site. The river holds significance as the scene of miracles in the Old Testament and the site of Christ’s baptism..
Christian pilgrims stand in the waters of the Jordan River during a baptism ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at the Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site, near the West Bank town of Jericho, on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Tourists and pilgrims come to the river from near and far, many driven by faith, to follow in Christ’s footsteps, to touch its water, to conjure up biblical events.
FILE - Pope Francis prays in front of the Jordan River at the Bethany beyond the Jordan baptismal site on the east bank of the river, west of Amman, Jordan, on Saturday, May 24, 2014. The Bible says Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Members of the Eritrean and Ethiopian Christian Orthodox community from Tel Aviv participate in a baptismal ceremony in the waters of the Jordan River as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at the Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site, near the West Bank town of Jericho on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018.
A cow crosses the Jordan River near Kibbutz Karkom in northern Israel on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Symbolically and spiritually, the Jordan is of mighty significance to many as the place where Jesus is said to have been baptized. People spend the day at the Jordan River near Kibbutz Kinneret in northern Israel on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Only a tiny fraction of the river’s historical water flow now reaches its terminus in the Dead Sea.