Next we went to Qumran where the Essenes, a group of Jews that were committed to austere living and mental and physical purity were hiding in the desert mountains. The Essenes had one among them that stayed for two years and then left on his mission. This former Essene went about preaching of the coming Messiah and eventually had his head cut off while in prison. Yes, you guessed it- John the Baptist. The group evacuated the approaching Roman assault on Israel. They decided that it was too dangerous to take all of their sacred writing so they hid them in jars in the caves. Well, they never came back for them because they likely were killed. After World War II was over, a shepherd boy was throwing rocks into the caves while he watched his sheep and goats. He heard pottery break and we now have what is known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The site for the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist was near the city of Jericho which is nowhere near the Sea of Galilee. This spot on the Jordan River is across from the Mount of Temptation in the Judean mountain wilderness west of Jerusalem. Jesus was a long way from Nazareth when He was baptized. The Jordan River was very muddy in this location, so no one wanted to get in. The tour guide told us that this is the same location that the children of Israel crossed into the land of promise under the leadership of Joshua. The scripture says that the river was at flood stage but God told them to stick their foot in as they carried the Ark of the Covenant across and the river would temporarily dry up. They did what God said and the whole nation crossed over on dry land. A representative from each tribe stacked up a large stone to show where God had done this miracle. So, Jesus chose to find John and be baptized on the same spot.
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