The eastern bank of the Jordan River, which is now in the country of Jordan, is a desert-like area with hills, mountains, and many little caves in the mountains. Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt to the promised land. After giving a view of Promised Land from a distance from Mount Nebo, God called Moses back. That is, he disappeared somewhere between Mount Nebo and the Jordan. The aerial distance from Mount Nebo to the river Jordan is about 10 km. (No one knows where he died or who buried him and where. The Hebrew people believe that God himself buried him, or that he was bodily taken to heaven). It was from this deserted area on the eastern bank of the Jordan that the Hebrew people, led by Joshua, miraculously crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land and camped in Gilgal. That was the first crossing over.
Then, the great prophet Elijah, along with his disciple Elisha, miraculously crossed the Jordan River from Gilgal to the wilderness on the eastern bank. There, God took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot. (Yes, almost where Moses was taken up).
Then, the prophet Elisha crossed the Jordan again and returned to Gilgal.
Centuries later, John the Baptist crossed the Jordan and appeared with the power of Elijah in the wilderness on the eastern bank of the Jordan - where Elijah was taken up.
John the Baptist baptized on the other side of the Jordan (the eastern bank).
Jesus also crossed the Jordan and came to the eastern bank to be baptized by John. The heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove on the same bank of the Jordan.
After John was murdered, when the authorities in Jerusalem were plotting to kill Jesus, we read in John chapter 10 that Jesus once again crossed the river Jordan to the other side -to the east bank- and stayed there for several days in the wilderness, avoiding the crowds and arrests by the Jewish authorities.
In the next chapter we read that, Jesus, having learned that Lazarus had died, crossed the Jordan to come back to Bethany near Jerusalem.
The oldest map which is a pictorial one - of the Holy Land that we have today (created around AD 550) is in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Madaba, laid out in mosaic on the floor. In it, the place of Jesus’ baptism is marked by two fish standing face to face in the River Jordan. It is amazing that there is also depicted a bridge connecting the two banks nearby!
