– Miguel Augusto
Recently, social networks circulated a piece of news that showed the appearance of small fish, in “pools” of the Dead Sea. It is not the first time that we are confronted with speculative news that point us to the appearance of life in the waters of this sea with high salt content, also known as the Salt Sea. Given the high level of salt at Dead Sea – far above what is found in the Oceans – there’s no life in their waters. Some of the “watchers” of the Dead Sea expect life to arise, by virtue of a prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezk. 47:1-12).
Putting aside speculations and going to the Scriptures, we can build a reflection with elements that not only inspire us, but sustain our Christian faith. We can draw on paper, or imagine: the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, which means “Holy Mountain”, from where the Jordan River springs. In its course, this river passes by the Sea of Galilee and ends in the Dead Sea. It flows through a valley known as the Jordan Valley, which is the deepest depression in the world.
In this geographical region, we have important places in the Biblical context such as: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Galilee, Capernaum, Jerusalem, among many other, and geographical points of great significance for Christians – Mount of Beatitudes, Mount of Olives, Mount Tabor and Golgotha. We are reminded that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem means “house of bread” and Christ said of himself, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).
Jesus, who had His residence in Nazareth, a small town, began His ministry in Galilee, a region north of the Palestine where He was raised. Hence they often called him the Galilean or the Nazarene. “As he was was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Mt 4:18-19).
In the Gospels, there is a moment that shows us the glory and divinity of Jesus, on Mount Tabor, in His transfiguration (Mt 17: 1-9). Curiously, a Psalm written centuries before the coming of the Messiah refers to Tabor and mount Hermon: “Yours are the heavens, yours the earth; you founded the world and everything in it. Zaphon and Amanus you created; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name” (Ps 89:12-13).
When we see and follow the course of the Jordan River, it descends into the sea of Galilee where Jesus began to preach on its banks. Then, through the continuity of its course, where John the Baptist preached baptism and repentance of sins (Luke 3: 3), and where Jesus was baptized, the river flows into the Dead Sea, lifeless and abundant in salt. At this moment, following our reflection, we are led to reflect and feel that nothing is by chance; God speaks to us through His “drawing,” in a meeting of “coincidences” with profound messages, which are, in this analysis, a crescendo of evidence to our faith.
The man fallen by original sin, was spiritually dead. By the baptism initiated in the Jordan, he is reborn with Christ for a new life, with the infusion of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Fathers of the Church said “Christianus alter Christus,” that is, “the Christian is another Christ,” precisely because he is a member of the Body of Christ and lives of His Spirit.
Catholics and Orthodox Greeks believe that Jesus’ baptism, in the Jordan river, was near the Dead Sea. “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Mt. 3:16-17). At this moment for the first time in the Biblical narrative, the Holy Trinity is presented to us. Interestingly, the name Jordan in Hebrew means “the one who descends,” and there truly the vivifying Spirit descended from Heaven.
Professor and theologian Scott Hahn tells us, “Jesus doesn’t submit to John’s baptism as a sinner in need of purification. He humbles Himself to pass through Jordan’s waters in order to lead a new ‘exodus’ – opening up the promised land of heaven so that all peoples can hear the words pronounced over Jesus today, words once reserved only for Israel and its king: that each of us is a beloved son or daughter of God” (Gn 22:2; Ex 4:22; Ps 2:7).
The waters of the Jordan, by baptism, gives a new life to a body without life, which we can symbolically find in the body of water of the Dead Sea. This other name – Salt Sea – also refers us to the Gospels and to the words of Jesus who tell us about salt: an interesting allegory focused in what God expects of each of His children: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden… Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:13-16). It is interesting to note here that this passage from the “salt of the earth” is in Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew, after the presentation of the Beatitudes, also known by the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-12).
Taking inspiration from the first lines of the “Sermon of St Anthony to the Fishes” by Father António Vieira, Jesus Christ, expects us to be the salt of the earth with its good properties, acting in the world not only in the “seasoning” of Christian virtues, but also with the conservative properties of salt, preventing the corruption of mankind. In the Gospel of Mark we hear from Jesus, “Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another” (Mk 9:50).
Another interesting factor is that the shores of the Dead Sea are more than 400 meters below sea level, the deepest dry ground point on our planet. The Jordan River, where baptism began – the first sacrament that every Christian receives – is the only one that runs in almost all its extension, below sea level.
Baptism symbolizes a death, a descent into the depths with Christ and with Christ we re-emerged (CCC 1214; 2 Co 5:17; Ga 6:15). In baptism, the Holy Spirit is received, and we become the temple of His presence (1 Co. 6:19), Children of God and heirs of His kingdom (Rm. 8:17).
The Jordan river, in its undulating course from the Sea of Galilee, travels more than 300 km until it reaches the Dead Sea. The ministry of Jesus begins with his baptism in the Jordan River at the age of thirty, and ends at the cross at the age of thirty-three. In the context of our reflection, the third number here also speaks to us.
Many centuries before Jesus had trodden the earth, men carried the ark of the covenant. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant (Heb. 9:4). There they also crossed the waters of the Jordan, opposite Jericho (Jsh 3:1-17). Miraculously, the waters opened up and let them pass as had happened in the Red Sea (Ex 14:21-22).
God had made a covenant with His people but now in His son – the Lamb of God – by His redemptive blood, we have a new eternal covenant in Jesus Christ. God became man in Jesus, and looks at us with “our eyes,” touches us with “our hands,” spreading love, mercy, compassion, and healing all our infirmities.
We are all called to be disciples of the Lord, initiated by baptism, of such great mystery and importance, that the Gospel of Matthew ends with these words of Jesus: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20).
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