Article | - 2:14 pm
This River Originates on Mount Hermon and Flows Down to the Lowest Point on Earth, Teaching Us Something Extraordinary About the Attitude We Should Adopt
No matter how many scientific and technological advances we have experienced and enjoyed, there is still something that cannot be created in laboratories or factories: water. This item so essential for our survival has a known formula—H2O, with its molecule formed by two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom—yet it comes solely and exclusively from nature created by God. Much of the water suitable for consumption comes from rivers. The largest in the world in terms of extension and volume of water is on Brazilian soil, the Amazon. However, there is a river much smaller in size but greater in importance and meaning: the Jordan.
Cited dozens of times in Holy Scripture, the Jordan rises on Mount Hermon, more than 2,800 meters above sea level, and originates from three tributaries (Banias, Dan, and Hasbani) in the north of the Middle East region, between Syria and Lebanon. More than 200 kilometers long, much of its course delimit the current Israel-Jordan border, while its waters flow past the Hula Valley in Israel and create the small Lake of Merom. It then follows its course again for 20 kilometers until it flows into the Sea of Galilee, also called Lake Tiberias, and, descending to the south of the region for more than 100 kilometers, it flows into the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert. This route, which runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, is called the Lower Course of the Jordan River and crosses a region known as the Jordan Valley. Thus, due to the altitude of the areas it crosses, the Jordan River is classified as the lowest river in the world.
It is worth remembering that Jordan is essential for the region as it is responsible for a large part of the water supply for the State of Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Despite the desert climate, the irrigation of this river allows the development of local agriculture and tourism (due to its historical importance).
Despite today being in a desert region, many stretches of the Jordan remain lush and still seen “as the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). Several miracles and decisive moments recorded in the Sacred Text took place there, either on its banks or in its waters. “The Jordan River symbolizes a new life—a before and an after,” highlights Bishop Adilson Silva. It is a famous place where, for example, the healing of Naaman was recorded.
The Bible reports that he, captain of the King of Syria’s Army, was a remarkable man but suffered from leprosy (an infectious disease that causes skin lesions)—it is important to remember that, at that time, the carrier of this disease was considered unclean (Leviticus 13:43-44) and that this illness indicated that the person could be dealing with divine punishment (Numbers 12:9-10). When Naaman’s wife’s servant revealed a prophet in Israel capable of restoring his health, he soon became interested, and a letter was even sent to the Israelite king containing this request.
Upon hearing from the messenger of the prophet Elisha, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean” (2 Kings 5:10), Naaman was indignant because he believed the prophet himself would stand before him and cry out for his purification, instead of being guided by others to dive into a simple river. But, when the servants who accompanied him asked the question, “My father, had the prophet spoken with you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (2 Kings 5:13), Naaman, then, was humble, stripped himself of his pride, went down to the Jordan and immersed himself seven times in the waters of the river.
And what was the result? The answer is in 2 Kings 5: “According to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (…). So Naaman said: (…) your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord.”
The act of “going down” into the Jordan did not only grant Naaman the desired cure—a clean skin, a clear sign of his purification—but also the opportunity to recognize the power of the Almighty, which made him repent of his sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness and, furthermore, leaving the gods he once served to serve exclusively the One God. And this is what we must do.
In his published annotations, while meditating upon 2 Kings 5:14, Bishop Edir Macedo shares, “Everyone must ‘go down,’ that is, have the humility to obey what He says and believe, if they want to enjoy His promises. Naaman’s greatest achievement was not the healing of leprosy, but the Salvation he gained by converting to the Lord (v. 17).”
For the miracle experienced by Naaman to happen, the Jordan had previously been the scene of a remarkable moment for the descendants of Israel. “I think that a great miracle that happened in the Jordan River was the entry of the people of Israel into the Promised Land. When the people left Egypt, that generation passed through the Red Sea, a kind of baptism. However, those people were left wandering around through the desert for 40 years. Then, a new generation was born, especially because the first generation was corrupted, and this new generation that entered the Promised Land had to cross the Jordan River. God divided the waters of the river so that the people could walk dry, so the Jordan River typifies water baptism; that is, the people would definitely be entering a new life, and this already announced that the Jordan would be the place of baptism in the waters when John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus,” says Bishop Adilson Silva.
And that’s what happened. Centuries later, John the Baptist preached on the banks of the Jordan and baptized those who repented and wanted to live a new life. It was where he also announced, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
Baptism in water was once seen as a religious ritual for new converts, but John the Baptist redefined this act as a symbol that the old life was being left behind to begin a new one. “Whoever was baptized would be showing their contrition and sincere desire to have a new life with God. This shows that obedience to religious rituals is not enough—Faith demands true conversion. That is, the public act of passing through the waters would only have transformative power if it were accompanied by repentance for bad deeds and the intimate desire to change the way of thinking, living, and acting. These requirements prove the authentic desire to become a new creature,” wrote Bishop Macedo in his published annotations of faith.
Thus, the scene of so many miracles and the fulfillment of so many promises also witnessed a singular moment: the baptism of the Lord Jesus and the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 3:13-17). The Son of God did not need to be baptized in water, but He went down to the Jordan River and did so to leave us an example and to mark the before and after of the history of Humanity.
Therefore, the Jordan represents a place of passage for everyone who begins the journey of faith—as happened with Naaman and the Lord Jesus Himself—and for those who already follow this path but recognize that it is constantly necessary to give up their wills to achieve the promises of God—like Joshua and the people who crossed the Jordan (Deuteronomy 11:31). Therefore, this river represents the act of “going down,” of humiliating oneself, of repenting, of leaving everything that is wrong to reach the new life and the promises of the Most High.
And “go down” as many times as necessary. Just as we need water frequently to survive, as Christians, we also need to descend constantly. Geographically, the Jordan River is more than 6 thousand miles from the USA. However, spiritually, it is represented by a humble and sincere attitude: true repentance. This is the only attitude that, when not taken, becomes a barrier between the person and Salvation. However, when there is humility to recognize your weaknesses, followed by true repentance, it is as if a bridge appeared to give access to a new life.
Therefore, follow Peter’s advice described in Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
And what does true repentance consist of? Bishop Adilson responds, “Repentance is born when a person’s understanding is enlightened by the preaching of the Gospel, and they see their sin, how lost they are, and understand that they need a Savior. And, when there is this repentance, the Holy Spirit points Jesus to the person, and they take shelter in Him. This true repentance is characterized by a decision. It is not a feeling, it is not a remorse, but a firm decision that the person makes that, from then on, they will live a new life according to the Word of God.”
As previously mentioned, the waters of the Jordan originate on Mount Hermon, one of the highest places in the region, from the Sea of Galilee and end their course in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, more than 400 meters below sea level. from the sea.
But do you know what the biggest difference is between these two lakes? The Sea of Galilee has fresh water and lots of fish, with a coastline full of beautiful cities and towns thanks to the region’s greenery resulting from agriculture, trees, and gardens irrigated by the Sea of Galilee; the Dead Sea, in turn, is known for the concentration of mineral salts that make any life in the region impossible, with no fish in its waters or vegetation around it—a consequence of the divine punishment suffered by Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities that they were in that region and where the inhabitants were evil (Genesis 13:13) and sin was aggravated (Genesis 18:20) and, therefore, it was destroyed (Genesis 19:24-25).
The explanation for the disparity between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is simple: the Sea of Galilee receives the Jordan River from the north but does not retain it for itself, and the Jordan River continues on its path, irrigating and sowing life wherever it goes. The opposite happens with the Dead Sea: it receives the Jordan River and stops it. It doesn’t drain. Thus, while the water evaporates, all the mineral salts accumulate in a huge closed container. Excessive saturation acts like a poison that annihilates any species of life. It’s a sea that kills. And it kills because it is enclosed within itself. What he receives from Jordan is good and wholesome, but he turns what is good into something bad by withholding it for himself.
This is a warning: we cannot let life stop flowing through us. We ought to always turn to the Source. After all, the Lord Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). And for this to happen, we have to evaluate ourselves day after day (2 Corinthians 13.5-11). Even because God’s specialty is giving Himself, as Bishop Adilson adds, “When the Bible says that God is love, it is true love, different from what we hear in songs and what the world thinks. God is love because He gives Himself even without the guarantee that He will receive. We see that the Jordan River receives water from Hermon, which gives it to the Sea of Galilee, which gives it to the Dead Sea, but the Dead Sea gives nothing. So, whoever belongs to God receives from Him and overflows to other people. Whoever is connected with God, turning to God who is the Source of Life, will always be giving of themselves.”
Whether in the decision to repent in order to obtain new life or in the attitude of always turning to the Source to flow life wherever we go, we all need to pass through the Jordan and remain on its bank, like “a tree planted by the water That extends its roots by a stream, And does not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought, Nor cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17.8).
The Most High is the Spring of Living Waters that guarantees that even the most desertic place flourishes and bears fruit. Far from Him, it is impossible to go through this earthly life and reach eternal life. It is worth remembering that the baptism in the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus took place while He was in the waters of the Jordan, and then He was led to the desert where He suffered Satan’s temptations. But going down to the river, receiving the Holy Spirit, and knowing the Holy Scriptures deeply made Him endure the temptations and begin His ministry in this world.
This reveals that “going down” into the Jordan (with true repentance) is part of the process of obtaining the Salvation of our soul and, while we are in this world, the way to achieve the Lord’s benevolence. Because the God who performed wonders in the Jordan has not changed and will not change. God continues to be faithful to His Word and depends on your decision so that He can also perform wonders in your life.
Contributors:
Laís Klaiber (Translated and Adapted From Original) / Art: Edi Edson
