This month I’ll turn 33. I’ve always associated that with Jesus’s age when he was crucified. It’s amazing to me to think that he was only my age when he accomplished all the things he did.
That’s a humble reminder that I need to make the most of my time. “Work for the night is coming,” Jesus says, “when no man can work.”
But how do we know Jesus was 33 when he died and rose again? It’s not as clear cut as the Sunday School answer would make it appear.
First, the Bible says in Luke 3:23 that “Jesus himself, when he began to teach was about 30 years of age.” So we have “about 30” rather than “exactly 30.” If someone was 29 or 31 could you accurately say they were about 30? Of course.
Any estimate of Jesus’s age is based on this passage, so that means that starting off we’re working with a round number that could vary by a couple of years either way.
How do we get from about 30 to 33 at his death?
The only method we have is counting the number of Passovers documented in the gospels. Since that festival was held only once a year, each Passover mentioned must have marked the passing of another year.
There are three Passovers explicitly mentioned in John:
1. “And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem (John 2:13).”
2. “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand (John 6:4).”
3. And finally, there is the final Passover where Jesus was crucified, mentioned several times, the first being in John 11:55: “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand.”
That gives you something more than two years and something less than three years: The beginning of Jesus ministry when he was about 30, the first Passover, Jesus turning about 31, the second Passover, Jesus turning about 32 and then the final Passover.
Getting to him being about 33, then, requires understanding John 5:1, which says Jesus went to “a feast of the Jews,” to be talking about the Passover. That’s been hotly debated over the centuries, and the simple answer is no one knows for sure. But it’s likely John was talking about the Passover because it was the most prominent feast and he uses similar language (“of the Jews”) as he does with the other explicit Passover references.
The only other evidence is found in an Old Testament prophecy found in Daniel 9:27. It says, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.” This is in a passage talking about the coming of the Messiah, and it can be easily interpreted that the one week is seven years and the “middle of the week” refers to three-and-a-half years of earthly ministry.
That’s a lot of trouble to go to attempt to prove one small detail that doesn’t really matter in the scheme of Christianity, but it does illustrate a few salient points:
1. Don’t take accepted knowledge about the Bible to be true. Instead, “study to show thyself approved (2 Tim. 2:15),” and like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) examine the Scriptures daily for yourself to see if things are so.
2. Isn’t it remarkable that the gospels record so few personal details about Jesus, including no description of his appearance, despite them making the assertion that he is the Son of God and the most important man to walk the earth? The reason is the purpose of their writing — to produce faith, not simply give facts. And by that standard, we have all we need.
Reach Editor/Publisher Charlie Smith at csmith@columbianprogress.com.
