Although Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Yet, as soon as it was safe for them to do so, they returned to Nazareth. Nazareth is in the southern part of Galilee, but much of Jesus’s ministry was conducted at or near the Sea of Galilee.
But before Jesus began his ministry, He went to the River Jordan to be baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. God had sent John the Baptist to prepare for Jesus:
Zaccharias was the father of John the Baptist, and he said the following after the birth of his son:
67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people. Luke 1: 67-77
In Matthew, we read about John the Baptist at the River Jordan:
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. Matthew 3: 13-15
The Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee and empties into the Dead Sea, where its waters are trapped.
Two Seas in Palestine
“There are two seas in Palestine. One is fresh, and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its healing waters. Along its shores the children play, as children played when He was there. He loved it. He could look across its silver surface when He spoke His parables. And on a rolling plain not far away He fed five thousand people.“
The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So it laughs in the sunshine. And men build their houses near to it, and birds their nests; and every kind of life is happier because it is there.
“The River Jordan flows on south into another sea. Here is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children’s laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy above its water, and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink
.“What makes this mighty difference in these neighbor seas? Not the river Jordan. It empties the same good water into both. Not the soil in which they lie not the country about.
“This is the difference. The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go on in equal measure.u“The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jeatlously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets, it keeps.
“The Sea of Galilee gives and live. This other sea gives nothing. It is named The Dead. There are two kinds of people in the world. There are two seas in Palestine. There are two kinds of people in this world. What kind are we?” Author Unknown
It was at the Sea of Galilee, that Jesus called his first disciples:
Four Fishermen Called Disciples
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Matthew 4:18-22
Image Credit: Bible History Online
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then [d]His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from [e]Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Matthew 4:23-25
Early in His ministry, Jesus aligns himself with the waterways near his home. This may have been a coincidence, but I cannot help but believe that it another link in the connection of God’s alignment with the water.
In Genesis, we are told that before God created His Garden, the world was a dark, watery abyss:
Like an embryo resting in embryonic fluid, God’s world was awaiting–in a watery abyss.
Ultimately, God created the Garden of Eden, and many scholars believe that the Garden of Eden was created between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. Again, God’s creation was surrounded by water.
The great Biblical leader Abraham was born in this area, but God urged him to move to Canaan, which rests on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Later, the good man Noah and his family–and a host of animals–were saved by the water of a great flood.
Later still, Moses led the Israelites to freedom, and they escaped the Egyptians by way of the Red Sea.
When Jesus began His ministry at and near the Sea of Galilee, it seemed that once more, God was using the water as part of His story.
Today, on the Fifth Day of Christmas, I worked in my garden, trying to take advantage of a storm and rains that watered the seeds I had planted and the roses I had transplanted. 
I am celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas by working in my garden. During the summer, I recorded my thoughts about rain in my garden:
I recognize the power of the rain and the healing nature of water:
Today, I want to add to a post that I’ve already written about the references to the water in the Bible:
Water is a major theme in the Bible. Perhaps that is because water was so very essential to the nomadic people in the Bible. Consider the 23rd Psalm. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters….”
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, Psalm 23:1-2 NIV Bible Gateway
A couple of days ago, I went outside into my garden, and it had rained the night before. Everything was wonderfully wet and refreshed garden, and I thought about the traditions of Baptism in some of our more modern Christian churches.
I grew up in the Baptist church, and the Baptists believe that baptism should involve the dipping of the person being baptized into water. In my Baptist church, the words were repeated when the baptized were lifted out of the water: “Walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
After being baptized, a person’s old life has been symbolically extinguished–or buried–allowing the baptized to emerge from that water burial to walk into a new life.
I find it interesting that several ancient cultures believe that before the world was created, a dark, watery abyss surrounded the world, and during the process of the world’s creation, the watery abyss was reallocated.
Water is the stuff out of which the world was created, and it is through water that we are refreshed and cleansed. During my young adulthood, I became Episcopalian, and I cherish the blessings of the water that are part of the Episcopalian baptism. Note: The Episcopal Church is the American counterpart to the Church of England:
Prayer Over the Water
Loving Father,
we thank you for your servant Moses,
who led your people through the waters of the Red Sea
to freedom in the Promised Land.
We thank you for your Son Jesus,
who has passed through the deep waters of death
and opened for all the way of salvation.
Now send your Spirit,
that those who are washed in this water
may die with Christ and rise with him,
to find true freedom as your children,
alive in Christ for ever.
Amen.
Another Blessing Over the Water
We praise you, loving Father,
for the gift of your Son Jesus.
He was baptized in the River Jordan,
where your Spirit came upon him
and revealed him as the Son you love.
He sent his followers
to baptize all who turn to him.
Now, Father, we ask you to bless this water,
that those who are baptized in it
may be cleansed in the water of life,
and, filled with your Spirit,
may know that they are loved as your children,
safe in Christ for ever.
Amen.”
The Book of Common Prayer
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