Explorer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has fulfilled a lifelong dream, by being baptised in the Jordan River, the same sacred place where Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist.
Grylls shared a picture of this significant moment on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptised in by my hero John the Baptist. The story is so amazing, & it seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed. Luke (in the bible) was probably a Syrian doctor before he met Jesus. He writes a reliable, poignant account of his life. It’s short. I like it.”
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of Jesus Christ's life, teachings, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and it is often used to help new believers understand Jesus’ teachings and how to live the new life in Christ.
Grylls has often been open about his faith and is an ambassador for the Alpha Course, which introduces people to Christian basics.
Earlier this year, the adventurer made headlines after he said he believes “Jesus would struggle with 99 per cent of churches nowadays” during an interview with the Christian Post.
For him, Christians should prioritise a personal relationship with God over religious rituals.
He said: “Our job in life is to stay close to Christ and drop the religious, drop the fluff, drop the church if you need to because that means so many different things to different people anyway. Keep the bit of church which is about community and friends and honesty and faith and love. All the masks, performances, music and worship bands and all of that sort of stuff—I don’t think Christ would recognize a lot of that.”
Grylls was also famously seen praying for former president of the USA, Barack Obama during an episode of his TV show Running Wild with Bear Grylls.