Under the blazing Middle-Eastern sun, our group of tourists from Rwanda made its way to the bank of the Jordan River, in the present-day Kingdom of Jordan, to visit a place believed to be the spot where Jesus was baptised. With eager expectation, we drove for a few hours from Amman, the Jordanian capital, where we had held meetings during the last week of June, to go for an amazing experience of visiting a place of such key religious significance. ALSO READ: Visiting Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world Located on the east bank of the Jordan River, the place also bears historical connections to John the Baptist, who once resided there, surviving on honey and locusts. As such, there is a lot to learn. Upon our arrival, we first gathered in a modest building at the entrance to hear from Rustom Mkhjian, the Director General of the Baptism Site Commission. His talk was mostly about the site’s authenticity and its history. Mkhjian cited biblical scriptures, such as John 1:28, which mentions “Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, reinforcing the belief that Jesus was baptised in the Kingdom of Jordan, not Israel. ALSO READ: Inside growing Rwanda, Jordan ties After talking to us, he ushered us to the place, which, for me, was a bit different from what I had imagined. Positioned in a low-lying area with quite little water, the area is built with what looks like ancient stone bricks. It is in an open space with little steps that lead you down so that you can touch the waters. Documented accounts of pilgrims, who journey through the area in the past, show that the place used to have more water – enough to reach the chest of a tall man or even beyond. Along with my colleagues, we first stood at the place’s wooden fence but we were close enough to see the baptism spot well. The priests who travelled with us were allowed to go all the way down to say a prayer, and later on, many of us also followed and took a closer look. While at the site, Mkhjian gave further arguments for the spot’s authenticity, where for example, he pointed at the fact that ancient believers made efforts to build churches in the spot, despite how difficult it was to construct buildings there. ALSO READ: Kagame, Jordan King Abdullah II discuss bilateral ties “We ask ourselves a simple question; why did our ancestors challenge the forces of nature, earthquakes and floods, to build one church after the other in a place where there is no community to serve?” he argued. “Because they wanted to mark an important spot and event; the place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John, and where He started His ministry; in other words where Christianity physically started,” he added. In addition to such, he noted that the plants in the vicinity are a natural habitat for bees, a key factor, since John the Baptist, according to the Bible, fed on honey and locusts. The place is of significance to tourists and for hundreds of years has been a popular pilgrimage destination. It is maintained as a wilderness area as the Bible says that Jesus’ baptism took place in the wilderness area.
