Hello everyone! For the safety of the families we were with in Jordan and for our own safety, I took a short break from posting and sharing. My squad just started our first week of ministry in Thailand but I wanted to take a moment to look back on some of the adventures that my team took to surrounding biblical sites.
Mount Nebo: The Promised Land
Mount Nebo is the mountain known to be where Moses saw the Promise Land before he died. Overlooking Israel, you can see Jericho and even Jerusalem. It is said that Moses’ body may be buried there. In Numbers 20, Moses disobeys God by striking a rock and as a result is told he will not lead the people into the promised land. This is a land that Moses had worked so hard for and had dreamed of for over 40 years. It had been the cry when the nation left Egypt and when they were eating manna in the desert.
Deuteronomy 34:1-6:
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land– from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.
The Jordan River: The Baptism Site of Jesus Christ
The first photo on the left is the location of where John the Baptist is believed to have baptized Jesus. Over time, the water from the Jordan has actually disappeared due to several factors. Additionally, the baptism site is where John the Baptist began his public ministry and is believed to have performed various baptism ceremonies. The river holds further significance as the scene of miracles in the Old Testament. After years of wandering the desert, the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground after the water was stopped for them to pass.
Mathew 3:13-17
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [a]it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened [b]unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; 17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, [c]This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:9-11
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John [a]in the Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him: 11 and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:13-17
21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
John 1:29-34
29 On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that [a]taketh away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was [b]before me. 31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing [c]in water. 32 And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize [d]in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth [e]in the Holy Spirit. 34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is a large body of salt water that is cited sixteen times throughout the Bible. It is actually referred to as a few different names including the Salt Sea, the Sea of Arabah, and the Eastern Sea. No marine life can live in this sea due to its high level of salinity. The most recent significance of the Dead Sea can be given to the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Visiting these biblical sites brought a lot of the Bible to life. While we read scripture, it is easy to feel distant from the stories but walking the ground of these biblical accounts brought me closer to Jesus.
While I have learned a lot this year about ministry, I have also learned that Jesus desires for us to enjoy life and to celebrate and see the world and to gaze at the beauty. God is so good y’all.
More stories to come.
Be well. Love well.
Mags
What a wonderful experience!
Seeing the deep impression God is making on your life is so encouraging!