And he said to them: Go before the ark of the Lord your God to the midst of the Jordan, and carry from thence every man a stone on your shoulders, according to the number of the children of Israel,
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ עִ֠בְרוּ לִפְנֵ֨י אֲר֧וֹן יְהוָ֛ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֖ם אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְהָרִ֨ימוּ לָכֶ֜ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶ֤בֶן אַחַת֙ עַל־שִׁכְמ֔וֹ לְמִסְפַּ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֥י בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The phrase ‘two dozen men’ alongside an equal number of stones symbolizes the divine presence of the Apostles, as they serve both as builders of the spiritual dwelling and its foundation. It is stated, ‘the Apostle and the Prophet were referred to as the foundation’ (Eph. 2:20). Furthermore, the Apostle declared, ‘as the master builder I have established the foundation’ (1 Cor. 3:10).
God instructed that twelve stones be extracted from the Jordan River, providing the rationale by stating, "When your son asks you, 'What do these stones signify?' tell him how, by divine decree, the waters of the Jordan ceased to flow, allowing the ark of the Lord and the Israelites to cross." Hence, how can we refrain from illustrating on icons the salvific sufferings and miraculous deeds of Christ our Lord? This way, when my son inquires, "What does this mean?" I can explain that the Word of God took on flesh, and through Him, not only did Israel journey across the Jordan, but all creation was restored to its original joy. Through Him, nature emerged from the depths of the earth’s underworld and ascended to sit at the Father’s right hand.
Regarding images, there are two kinds: one is through the written word contained in scriptures, similar to how God engraved the law on tablets and commanded that the lives of the righteous be recorded; the other is through sensory contemplation, as illustrated by the divine instruction to gather twelve stones from the Jordan to symbolize the priests—what a profound mystery this is for the faithful—who bore the ark of the covenant and witnessed the waters flowing away. Even now, we lovingly create representations of virtuous figures from the past for our inspiration, remembrance, and amazement. Therefore, we must either reject all images and establish a law that contradicts the One who commanded their creation or embrace all images according to their inherent meaning and significance.
The Israelites erected a stone monument as a testament to the extraordinary passage through the Jordan River. Each individual was instructed to collect a stone from the riverbed, carrying it on their shoulder, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, serving as a sign for future generations. In the writings of Exodus, it is noted that the Israelites, during their crossing of the Red Sea under Moses, did not perform this act. Ex. 14:22 And the children of Israel entered in the midst of the sea on dry ground.
This act of carrying stones from the Jordan was divinely commanded, intended to commemorate the miraculous parting and drying up of the river, allowing the Hebrew people to reflect on God’s grace toward them. It is clear that this command was not consistent with what occurred during Moses' time. Unlike the moment when the Hebrew people crossed the Red Sea, Moses did not receive a similar directive from God, who alone performed the wonders that guided His people. Without God’s explicit will, Moses would not have acted independently.
THEOSIS