…so what on earth does “crossing Kidron” mean?
Years back, I was listening to a sermon by John MacArthur about how to study the Bible. On the topic of studying the Bible in ‘context’, he brought up John 18:1, where Jesus had “crossed the Kidron Valley”. Why was that significant?
Interestingly, when Jesus crossed this seemingly unknown creek, it was during the Passover. At that time, the creek would have been full of water and if you know the location of that valley, it was at the bottom of the slope on the back of the temple. Now during Passover, lambs were being slaughtered as sacrifices and the blood would have flowed out from the back of the temple down the slope and into the creek – the Kidron. The entire creek would have been blood-red as Jesus walked over it.
The significance? Christ was symbolically going to shed His blood for us all – the blood of the lambs paled in comparison to His blood shed for the sins of the world – past, present and future. (Heb 9:11-14)
So why choose the name Crossing Kidron? For me, it was realising how wonderfully rich and alive God’s Word really is – it was life-changing for me. I was no longer happy with answering questions with stock-standard Sunday School answers. God was challenging me to look deeper into the Truth that He has revealed in His Word – that I may understand my God more and continue to build that lifelong relationship with Him.
I love studying the Bible and I want to share it with others, but I do understand it’s a long road of many countless hours of study, prayer and meditating on His Word. If you’d like some tips on how to study your Bible, I’ll refer you on to the sermon that got me stuck into it all:
“How to Study Your Bible: Closing the Gaps – by John MacArthur“
Happy reading and keep at it!
