Coming to you live this week from the Jordan Valley I’m excited to bring good news - the river runs full from recent rains and its story is equally full of wonder. as, again the calendar meets our daily pages, in time, space, and between, and beyond.
The Jordan river runs deep and ancient, nowadays marking the border between Jordan and Israel. But that’s not why pilgrims rush to dip inside its murky waters as they’ve been doing for at least 3,000 years. Ever since Elijah crossed this river on his way to become immortal, and likely much earlier - this spot has become the hot spot for healing immersions and baptisms. Somewhere seemingly between one region and another, between one state of being and another, and between life and death is where this river flows, still, with waves of faith and mystery.
As Jews bid farewell to Passover this week and Greek Orthodox Christians prepare for Easter - we meet another a mega-myth shared by both religions and connected to this riverside location, and these chapters in the Book of Kings.
The Prophet Elijah prepares his departure from earth and his entry into the mythic pantheon by initiating his apprentice, Elisha, to take over. This past week we passed over from Kings 1 to Kings 2, and met Elisha son of Shefat for the first time: A farmer working in his parents’ fields when the elder Elijah, just back from a revelation on Mt. Sinai, throws a mantle at him and directs him to be his initiated disciple. The role of prophet/religious leader will shift with Elisha - from truth-telling fanatic to healer and miracle worker.
The dramatic scene where the initiation happens comes up next week - complete with a chariot of fire, the prophet’s mantle, and the puzzling plot - did Elijah die or not? The pilgrims who dunk daily in this river may not care much for the facts - it’s the feeling that matters, the power of the story, perhaps of the holy water, and the promise of eternal life through faith. Elijah and Elisha will pave the way for Jesus, literally. Stay tuned.
In between fact and feeling, earth and heaven, this river runs. I hope the stories quench our thirst for meaning as we cross the sea of reeds into whatever liberation waits ahead for all of us, step by step.
Thanks for joining me Below the Bible Belt. Shabbat Shalom!
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No-Man's Land between Life & Death