Page 49 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

Where was Jesus Baptized?

The Gospel of Matthew gives us the most detailed account
of Christ’s baptism, beginning with the fact that “Jesus went
from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John”
(Matthew 3:13, NLT). Mark’s gospel also states that Jesus
was baptized by John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan
River: “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and
John baptized him in the Jordan River” (Mark 1:9, NLT). The
Gospel of Luke gives the briefest account of Jesus’ baptism
and does not indicate where it took place. It is in John’s
gospel that we receive our best clue to the exact location
on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. The gospel Qasr el Yahud – Just north of Dead Sea
writer explains, “This all happened at Bethany on the other
side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing” (John 1:28).

The precise location of Bethany beyond the Jordan has been widely debated. However, based on
geographical details in Scripture, we can be reasonably confident it was on the eastern banks of
the Jordan River. Many scholars pinpoint the site at five miles north of the Dead Sea at the mouth of
Wadi el-Kharrar, which is just across from Jericho. This site is called Qasr el Yahud. This location agrees
with references to the site being accessible from the wilderness of Judea, the Judean hill country, and
Jerusalem (Matthew 3:1–6, 13, 4:1; Luke 3:3, 4:1; Mark 1:4–5, 9–12) (https://www.gotquestions.org/where-
was-Jesus-baptized.html).

Yardenit
Many pilgrims come to the Holy Land especially to be
baptized in the Jordan River, thus the site of Yardenit was
established in 1981 as a result of the closing of Qasr el
Yahud, which occurred at the time due to the unstable
political situation in the region. This picturesque
baptismal site, located south of the Jordan River's outlet
from the Sea of Galilee, welcomes everyone who would
like to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and follow Jesus’s life
by experiencing the baptismal waters.

Yardenit – south of Sea of Galilee
“The Wall of New Life” is Yardenit’s special feature that
consists of panels in multiple languages that portray a verse from Mark describing the baptism of Jesus.
"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when
he came up out of water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him
like a dove, and a voice came from heaven; "Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased."
(Mark 1:9-11) “The Wall of New Life” is dedicated to all who have received baptism at this place and
symbolizes the beginning of their new life.

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