All four Gospels declare the baptism of Jesus, but before Him must come an Elias, one who prepares the way. We read of John the Baptist, who declares his message of repentance, and Matthew records this as prophetic fulfillment as John is identified as, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Matt. 3:3; see also Isaiah 40:3).
The voice comes from the Divine Council as a messenger is sent forth. And the wilderness represents apostasy, as the "voice" calls the Church out of the wilderness of apostasy, and back onto the pathway leading to eternal life.
There are at least two voices, John the Baptist at the Savior's First Coming, and Joseph Smith at the Savior's Second Coming. The Lord identifies Joseph in modern revelation by saying,
"And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness.
"And even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice" (D&C 33:5-6).
Joseph Smith, and others, also spent some time "crying in wilderness."
Bethabara As the Place of Crossing
The exact location of Jesus' baptism is identified only two places in scripture. In John we read, "These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing" (John 1:28). Nephi also identifies the place by saying, "And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water" (1 Nephi 10:9).
Bethabara means "house of ford" or place of crossing. You can click here to read about the word origin of Bethabara.
The place of crossing would be the place where the children of Israel crossed over Jordan en route to the promised land of Canaan. In the Old Testament we read,
"That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho" (Joshua 3:16).
Click here to see Bible Map 11, and you will see Bethabara directly east of Jericho, the place described in Joshua, as the crossing point for the children of Israel. You can also click here to see Map 14, showing the elevation for Bethabara to be somewhere between 825 and 1,302 feet below sea level.
Gateway to the Celestial Kingdom
The symbolism of the journey to Canaan (or any other promised land) represents our mortal journey to the kingdom of heaven. In the Book of Mormon we read,
"And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise" (Alma 37:45).
That "far better land of promise" is the Celestial Kingdom of God. And Jesus was baptized at the crossing point, or gateway, into the promised land representing heaven. So it follows that baptism is the gateway to heaven. Nephi exclaimed,
"Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost" (2 Nephi 31:17).
Jesus Descended Below All Things
There is another symbolic element to the Savior's baptism. He was baptized at probably the lowest point on earth--at around 1,000 feet below sea level. I am convinced that Map 14, showing the elevations of Jerusalem and Jericho, is there in our LDS Bibles for two reasons. First, to enhance the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. This story is reserved for another post.
And second, to emphasize the point that Jesus was baptized well below sea level to make clear the doctrine of His descent below all things. Modern scripture records, "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth" (D&C 88:6). The Prophet Joseph Smith was reminded of this in Liberty Jail, as the Lord said, "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:8).
If ever you falsely believe you have descended below the grasp of His Atonement, remember and ponder upon these things.
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