The Other Side of the Jordan

T

he Jordan River is a very famous landmark, especially for Christians.  This is the river the Children of Israel crossed to enter the Promised Land.  It is the river which split as the priest, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, entered and remained opened until the people had crossed over.  Joshua took twelve large stones from this river and built a monument as a lasting memorial to succeeding generations of what God had done for the people.

We also know this river as the place where John the Baptist baptized his followers and it is the same river in which Jesus himself came to be baptized.  The Jordan has become the favorite image of many songs and hymns.  George Beverly Shea sang “Roll Jordan Roll” and who can forget the popular hymn “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand”?  We speak of the moment of death as crossing the Jordan River with Heaven waiting on the other side as we cross over from this life to the next.

All of these are accurate and play such an integral part of our faith.  However, one passage from the Scriptures sticks out in my mind that paints the Jordan River in a different light.  That passage is found in John 1:28, “This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”  In this chapter, we learn that a delegation of priests and Levites came from Jerusalem to question John.  They wanted to know what he had to say about his ministry and they expected an answer.

It is interesting to me that they came to John in Bethany instead of John coming to them in Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was the capital and the center of all religious life for the Jews. Yet the leaders left Jerusalem and crossed the Jordan in order to speak with John. This should serve as a great encouragement for us today and also a stern warning.  God’s work will be accomplished in His time and by people dedicated to His purpose.  John was not a priest, nor a prophet, nor a Pharisee, nor a Levi.  He wasn’t anyone considered by the religious leaders to be theologically learned or someone with a vast amount of training.  Yet, God was working through John’s ministry and John was privy to the identity of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, while those of the religious order stumbled in the dark.

The encouragement comes when we realize time, place, or individual people do not bind God.  He can and will use any one in any situation to accomplish His purpose.  John is proof positive of this.  Likewise, just because we attend a certain church, serve on a dozen committees, give of our time and our resources to our local congregation, does not mean we are serving the Lord and His purposes.  It is just possible that we are serving our own and that is something God simply will not tolerate.

Today, the Jordan River still rolls and there are people today still visiting its banks.  As believers in Christ, we must ask ourselves which side of this river we occupy.  Are we standing on the side of the river where God’s work is seemingly being done?  Are we comfortable in our religious activities, content to maintain the status quo of going to services and placing our offering in the plate?  Or have we crossed the river and entered the wilderness where the Spirit of the Lord is working, calling people to Himself, using us to bring others to the knowledge of salvation in Jesus Christ?  Are you standing on the other side of the Jordan today?