A Geographic note.

John, Matthew 3 tells us, was preaching in the wilderness of Judea.  The Gospel of John gives us a more accurate description. 

John 1:28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John calls it “Bethany beyond the Jordan” to differentiate it from Bethany, the hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where Jesus will spend time later this year.  ‘Beyond the Jordan’ would mean ‘on the other side of the Jordan River’ and to any Jewish person, it would mean on the other side from Jerusalem, that is the east bank of the River.

We can’t pinpoint exactly where this Bethany is, but most scholars (and Google Maps) place it about 5 miles north of the Dead Sea across the Jordan from Jericho.¹

Now if you are John the Baptist in 27 AD and are thinking about planting a church, the wilderness may not be your first choice of location.  But John is not planting a church.  The Judean Wilderness is a very desolate place, as we shall see in a month when Jesus spends 40 days there.  But John’s location would have been a well-traveled route.  Anyone headed to Jerusalem from Galilee would (to avoid Samaria) head east and cross the Jordan River and then travel on the ancient paths parallel to the river and then cross back over the river to the west here, near Jericho.  They would then take the ‘Jericho Road’ that runs between Jericho and Jerusalem (which you know as the setting of the story of the Good Samaritan.)

This area has great Biblical significance also.  It was in this area that Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan on dry land, where Elijah was taken up to heaven, and where Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter the Promised Land.  

I find it very helpful to be able to draw a very simple map of Israel to be able to place events in the Bible in their location.  Knowing the location of the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea is enough.  Then you can learn the placement for a few cities and mountains.  Alternatively, you can consult the maps which many Bibles have, or even Google Maps, but I think being able to construct a rough map helps make the land come alive to you.

Here is one I frequently use.  

The “C” is Capernaum (located at the ‘cap’ of the Sea of Galilee.

“N” Nazareth is west of the lower end of that sea.

the Star marks Jerusalem which is close in line horizontally with the top of the Dead Sea.

Just below Jerusalem is “B” for Bethlehem, and you see Jericho near the river.

So John would be east of Jericho, on the other side of the river

If you are planning on following Jesus with your feet, we will begin on Feb 16th.  If you want to get a jump on it, then you had better get busy.  Jesus traveled from Galilee, likely his hometown, Nazareth, to the area where John was baptizing.  He most likely (this time) took the usual route, which would be about 90 miles.  In Jesus’ day, this would be a 5-6 day journey.  That won’t be doable for me on a workday, but I plan to take the next 6 weeks to make that 90 miles.  But again, we don’t ‘officially’ begin until mid-February, so no rush.  

1. “The section closes with a note of place. These things happened at John’s normal spot for baptizing on the other side of the Jordan (i.e., from Jerusalem). The name of the place varies in the MSS. Some read “Bethabarah” and some “Betharabah,” but both seem due to Origen, who early in the third century visited the land and reported that he could find no town called “Bethany” on the other side of the Jordan. He says that the ancient manuscripts read “Bethany.” But because he thought the place must be Bethabarah he adopted that reading. Origen was a great scholar, but for once it appears that he is not to be relied on. Close attention to his words shows that he did not actually go to Jordan; he says only, “they say that Bethabara is pointed out.” He appears to have been misinformed. It seems that “Bethany” is the right reading. But quite early the location was lost sight of. The Evangelist adds “on the other side of the Jordan” to distinguish this locality from the better-known Bethany, which was near Jerusalem.”  From New International Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew, Leon Morris.