Jordan River journey Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea

The Jordan River serves as a backdrop to many Bible stories, even when it’s not always mentioned. The river begins far to the north, at Mount Hermon, and flows into the Sea of Galilee. It flows again out of the Sea of Galilee, finally ending in the Dead Sea. People traveled on roads near water, so whenever Jesus and his disciples made a trip from Capernaum to Jerusalem, they usually traveled by this valley. Mary and Joseph probably traveled through the valley as they went to Bethlehem. This is also the general area where Joshua crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land, and where Elijah and Elisha crossed over on the last day of Elijah’s life. Naaman the Syrian commander came this way and reluctantly immersed himself in the waters. His leprosy was cleansed, though Elisha’s greedy servant took the disease home with him. Generations later, Jesus healed 10 lepers in the same area. When John the Baptist is introduced in the Gospels, he is preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River between Jericho and Bethany, only a short distance from the Dead Sea. This is where Jesus was baptized. From there, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days of spiritual preparation.