Protestants sometimes accuse Roman Catholics of holding to traditions not found in the Bible (e.g. Mary’s immaculate conception and perpetual virginity, etc.). But even Protestants must be careful with their judgment, as they will certainly be measured by the same measure with which they measure others (Matt 7:1-2). Certainly they don’t irrationally hold on to traditions unsupported by Scripture, do they?
We could explore a number of such traditions that Protestants ought to be willing to reconsider in light of the biblical data. In this post, I’ll tackle the typically unexamined maxim that Jesus’ ministry lasted for 3 years. A related assertion is that Jesus was 33 years old when he was crucified. Careful observation of the scriptural data will show us that these assertions could be true, but they are far from certain.
Reasons for the Tradition
If you research an article or book that examines the question, and doesn’t merely assert the 3-year timeframe, you’ll find the answer typically hinges on a few pieces of biblical evidence:
- Luke says Jesus began his ministry at “about 30 years of age” (Luke 3:23).
- John records three Passover events during Jesus’ ministry (John 2:13, 6:4, 11:55). That third Passover is drawn out also in John 12:1, 13:1, and John 19:14.
From this evidence, the conclusion is drawn: He began at age 30, he ministered for 3 years (through 3 annual Passover feasts), and therefore he died at age 33.
Familiarity vs. Observation
But please don’t allow your familiarity with the tradition to blind you from careful observation of the text!
- Luke clearly says that Jesus was “about” 30, not “exactly” 30. Perhaps Luke wants us to think of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as analogous to the “coming of age” of priests (Num 4:1-3) and rulers (Gen 41:46, 2 Sam 5:4) at age 30. Or perhaps he has other reasons for rounding the number.
- Though John records three Passover events, we have no proof that he intends his narrative to be literally chronological. Some scholars argue that the first Passover (chapter 2) was the same Passover as the one during which he was crucified, and that John bumps it early in his narrative to make a theological point. Others argue that the Passover of John 6:4 refers to same Passover of the year Jesus was crucified (and therefore, that John 6:4 and John 11:55 are referring to the same event).
- But regardless of whether John tells us about three Passovers, two Passovers, or even one—he never says that these were the only Passovers Jesus attended during his ministry. To assert or assume these 3 Passover references mean Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 years is to argue from silence.
Conclusion
Now I hope this analysis doesn’t generate seismic repercussions in anyone’s faith. My guess is that most people reading this explanation are not shaken to their core by it. If your reaction is along the lines of, “Who cares whether Jesus’ ministry was 3 years, or 2 years, or even 6 years long?”—I would like to buy you a drink and bless you in the name of Christ.
So why do I care enough to point it out?
Because these things snowball across generations. It’s not difficult for an angel’s legitimate blessing of Mary (Luke 1:28) to evolve over time into sacred legends about her moral perfection, perpetual chastity, or extraordinary origin. In the same way, who knows when or how the mistakenly assumed “three-year ministry of Jesus” might evolve into a three-year master plan for discipleship, or a three-year sacred tradition for church planting, or a set of uncompromisable three-year expectations for how God must work to build his kingdom?
Most spurious traditions have their origin in something true and good. But we cannot add to that truth without, in the end, compromising the very truth we sought to uphold. For example, it is a good and right thing to love God more than your parents (Luke 14:26). But it’s an altogether wicked thing to add traditions to that truth which end up undermining the obligation to care for your aging forebears (Mark 7:9-13).
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how many years Jesus spent with his disciples, going about doing good and healing. So we ought not to casually assert a three-year timeline as though it were self-evident.
Reminds me of the “Jesus changed Saul’s name to Paul” argument. I’d love for someone to show me where Scripture says that! It doesn’t.
Thanks for the article (linked from the Aquila Report).
You are correct! The Saul/Paul name change tradition is simply another tradition that’s been repeated often enough we’ve decided it must be biblical. Here is an article exposing the falsehood of the tradition: https://www.knowableword.com/2017/03/08/we-are-all-guilty-of-elevating-tradition-over-scripture/
Thanks for taking on the topic but it would have been even more helpful if you’d have addressed the fact that Jesus was actually born between 7 and 5 BC because the calendar is off. So, Jesus would have attended more Passovers than thought and would’ve been somewhere between 35 and 37 at his death.
Good point. Good to meet you here brother!
It’s not from the gospels that the “tradition” of the duration occurs but it originates in the prophesy of Daniel Ch. 9 which states it to be 3 1/2 years.
The “traditional view” is not based upon thin air.
Calvin https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhcw/daniel/9.htm
Matthew Henry https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhcw/daniel/9.htm
Albert Barnes https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/daniel/9.htm
Interesting though the mention about if it were not cut short. I recently heard the tribulation may be cut short not at the end but at the beginning. That’s hard to process. As I go through John I see 2 passovers not three which makes a one year ministry. Even if there were 3 that makes 2 years or slightly more than 2 years.
well heres one for you all
The LORD JESUS is the passover LAMB
a passover lamb is to be one year old not 2 or 3 yrs old
a 2 yr old is a hoglet a 3 yr old is a sheep
CHRIST IS THE LAMB OF GOD one year old
the tabernacle was raised (by Moses) on the first day of the jewish year when the Lord filled the temple
the temple is a type of CHRIST
It took 9 months to build after the temple is raised there are feasts and celebrations
palm sunday the passover,,,feast of first fruits , which Christ is the first fruits of those from the dead who were to live again in Him
so count back from the time the tabernacle in the wilderness was raised and you have CHRISTS conception of the holy ghost and 6 monthe before that is john the baptists birth ,in the course of abijah
so CHRIST was born in march and the date the 20th
of march crucified at easter ( march)
HAVE A GOOD STUDY ON THE FEASTS AND CELEBRATIONS AND YOU WILL SEE THEY ALL MATCH THE CRUCIFICTION WEEK
FROM THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM BY THE LORD JESUS
AND ASCENTION 50 DAYS AFTER THE CRUCIFICTION,,,,,, WAS THE FIRST WAVE OFFERING
AT PENTECOST (SHAUVOT) IS ANOTHER WAVE OFFERING , WHEN THE HOLY GHOST CAME TO BE THE COMFORTER,TEACHER AND GUIDE TO BELIEVERS
SO I BELIEVE CHRIST WAS ONLY HERE FOR A YEAR ,OR HE WOULD BE THE SHEEP OF GOD NOT THE LAMB,,,, WHICH HE ISNT AMEN
Wow Keith! A direct hit!
When I discuss this issue with so called “Pastors/Teachers” no one has studied Numbers Chapter 9. There are 2 Passovers. If you missed the originally decreed celebration, due to defilement from a dead body or due to being distantly afar off, you may honor your Jewish obligation by attending the 2nd Passover 30 days later. This 2nd Passover appears in John 6:4. John didn’t write that Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend this one. Instead he writes that Jesus, followed by a great company of Jews, went across the Sea of Galilee onto a mountain. The feast mentioned at 5:1 doesn’t say Passover as it does in 2:13 and 6:4. This must be Shavout that is celebrated 7 weeks after Passover. I agree with you that the Passover Lamb was to be 1 year old as stated in Exodus 12:5. Therefore John is aligned with the other three Gospels. Four if you include Acts (Luke volume 2).
Bingo! When I went thru John yesterday and today I came up with 2 passovers which means 1 year.
Keith. You nailed it!
All things must be seen through the Spirit. Not just just to try to academically figure things out.
Great research with reference to the High Holy Days / Feasts / Festivals.
One High Holy Day that is of importance is Yom Kippur (10th Day of the 7th month) Leviticus 23:26-32 and Numbers 29:7-11, the Day of Atonement.
As on this Day also, quoting Leviticus 25:8 – 13:
“… on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.
Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you;”
And when Jesus stood up to read Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:16-21)
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
…
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”
He was proclaiming the Jubilee Year had arrived on this Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement.
Thank you for your information on 3 years of Jesus’s ministry. It solved a mystery I have been thknking about.
Michael
Relative to the length of time of Jesus’ ministry, it is clear from Daniel 9:24-27 that he would be cut-off in the midst of the 70th “seven.” Hence a three and a half year earthly ministry, beginning when the antitypical High Priest “washed,” (Yom Kippur, Jesus being about 30 years old, having been born on Rosh-Hashanna ), and the Lamb of God was sacrificed exactly on Passover 3-1/2 years later. The remaining 3-1/2 years of the “Day” of Atonement will precede Christ’s return from the very presence of God, and is known only to the Father depending on circumstances. This latter period is consistent with several references to “time, times, and the dividing of time,” “1260 days, or 1290 days” when a 13th month is required, “42 months,” etc. All of these periods are consistent with “end-time” scenarios, “a time of trouble” and the coming “Kingdom” age.
Roy is correct that the 3 years is solid corroboration for Daniel’s 70 Week prophecy.
Hmm why would John say in 6:4 the feast of the Jews? He would say capitol P Passover. 6:4 is suspect That statement is written as someone outside the Hebrew faith. I think it did not even show up is most gospel accounts in history and was added Eusebius/ Origin life time. If we care, we should study , listen to real in depth studies outside our faith and pray and read it ourselves. It does not change our faith but might remove it more from people/religions and put it back in the Father. I saw an incredible series with Nehemiah Gordon, a top Hebrew expert and from the Jewish faith who has a yearning for truth with out bias. What is the language, culture and context tell us? Look it up on you tube. John 6:4 Nehemiah Gordon
What a lot of scholars , teachers leave out in the Word is how the Kenites weaseled their changing of one word here and one there to TOTALY changing the subject or meaning of the verse or verses. Rev. 2:8,9 show No fault of Smyrna and 3:7-9, no fault of the church of Philadelphia which of course is the Key of David that’s causes one to look carefully at these two markings!
In Judaism the final scroll of Ezekiel could not be read by anyone except all privileged males of age 30. So though Jesus knew all of scripture by His divinity, to others He would not be an accomplished scholar until age 30. His ministry may have actually lasted three years six months as a direct opposition to Daniel’s prophesy of the tribulation of the saints of a time, times and half a time of the anti-Christ but this would mean December 25 as his birthday inaccurate as the known exact time of the Passover.
Just wanted to reply on your opening. It is true that Protestants as well as Catholics hold to traditions that are perhaps unfounded on scripture. The thing to point out though is the massive difference in the weight of those traditions. Elevating Mary to sinlessness and being a mediator between us and mankind, then making it dogma, is on a whole different level than the mere duration of Jesus’ ministry, which Protestants don’t make as a tenet of orthodoxy. Shalom
Thanks everyone for the comments! The first time I came across this topic was through a fellow named Michael Rood. He has an interesting take on this subject also and I will not ruin it by attempting to summarising it.
P.S. I still haven’t found a scripture where Jesus changes the Sabbath to Sunday…
Joe, our current day names will never match God’s calendar. On God’s calendar, the day 7, 14, 21 and 28 are the Sabbaths.
It is clear from the days counted in the flood, 5 months is 150 days, thus ea month is 30 days and there are only 12 months in a year. I believe, the Enoc calendar is similar but the days vary in some moths.
Summarize not summarizing (Dah!)
I don’t believe you are counting the years correctly, when you count the Passovers in John.
I believe, on the onset, describing a 7 day week, but, from the 7th to the 14th Passover, but although it’s the first Passover, it’s the beginning of a year, thus not completed a year.
Day 1=8th – Pharisees and John
Day 2=9th – Andrew, John follow Jesus
*3RD=10th – Galilee, Jesus find Phillip, Nathaniel and WEDDING
Day 4=11th
Day 5=12th
Day 6=13th
Day 7=14th FIRST PASSOVER, year count zero
The SECOND Passover, marking year 1, is Ch 6, feeding of the 5000
The THIRD Passover, making year 2, is CH 11 until His death.
Thus, I see only a 2 year ministry.
You Said who CARES weather 3 or 6 and you will buy us drinks.. This is very Important Topic bro.. because this determine the Timing Year of Daniel 9 :26 Messiah will be cut off.. Im here for that..
but thank you so much Though God Bless you