Theopedia

Life of Jesus

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

— 1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

Definition

The life of Jesus spans his virgin birth in Bethlehem through his public ministry, death, and resurrection. This article traces the datable sequence of his earthly ministry, from his baptism to his death; for the doctrinal treatment of each stage, see the dedicated articles linked throughout.

Timeline

  • Birth in Bethlehem: Gabriel announces Jesus’ coming birth to Mary in Nazareth. Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for a census, and Jesus is born there and visited by shepherds (Luke 1-2).
  • The Magi and the flight to Egypt: Magi from the east come to worship the infant Jesus. Herod tries to kill him, so Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod dies (Matt. 2).
  • Childhood in Nazareth: The family settles in Nazareth. At age twelve, Jesus visits Jerusalem for Passover and is found in the temple, discussing the law with the teachers (Luke 2:39-52).
  • John the Baptist prepares the way; Jesus is baptized: John preaches repentance in the Jordan Valley. Jesus comes from Galilee to be baptized, and the Spirit comes down on him like a dove (Matt. 3).
  • Temptation in the wilderness: Led into the wilderness, Jesus fasts forty days and defeats three temptations from Satan before starting his public ministry (Matt. 4:1-11).
  • Early ministry in Judea and Samaria: Jesus gathers his first disciples and turns water to wine at a wedding. He then cleanses the temple and talks with a woman at a well (John 1-4).
  • Galilean ministry begins: Settling in Capernaum, Jesus calls fishermen to follow him, preaches the Sermon on the Mount, and appoints twelve apostles (Matt. 4:12-22; 5-7; Mark 3:13-19).
  • Miracles and growing crowds: Jesus calms a storm, casts out demons, heals the sick, and feeds five thousand people near the Sea of Galilee, then walks on the water (Mark 4-6).
  • Ministry beyond Galilee: Jesus travels north into non-Jewish lands. He heals a Gentile woman’s daughter and teaches in the Decapolis, then returns to Jewish territory (Mark 7:24-37).
  • Peter’s confession and the transfiguration: At Caesarea Philippi, Peter calls Jesus the Christ. Jesus begins telling his disciples he will die, then is transfigured before Peter, James, and John (Matt. 16-17).
  • The final journey to Jerusalem: Jesus turns south through Samaria and Perea, passes through Jericho, and raises his friend Lazarus from the dead at Bethany (Luke 9:51-19:28; John 11).
  • Death, resurrection, and ascension: Jesus enters Jerusalem, is arrested, tried, and crucified at Golgotha. He rises on the third day, appears to his disciples, and ascends from the Mount of Olives (Matt. 21-28; Acts 1).

Chronology of the Earthly Ministry

Baptism and the wilderness

Pictet dates the start of Christ’s public ministry to his baptism by John the Baptist, “when he was about thirty years old.”1 He connects that age to three Old Testament precedents: it was “the period at which the priestly office commenced under the law” (Num. 4:47), the age at which Joseph was elevated to govern Egypt (Gen. 41:46), and the age at which David was anointed king (2 Sam. 5:4).2 Immediately after his baptism, Christ fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness and was tempted three times by the devil, whom he overcame each time.3

Public ministry: preaching and miracles

Pictet summarizes the ministry that followed as preaching, in which Christ “vindicated the law from the false glosses of the Pharisees, attacked the traditions of the Scribes, reproved their hypocrisy and pride, and unfolded the mysteries of the gospel,” together with an extensive miracle ministry.4

The length of the ministry: four Passovers

Pictet records disagreement over how long the public ministry lasted: “according to some, was four years, but according to others, and with greater probability, three years and some months.”5 On the three-year reckoning, Christ kept four Passovers, each dated to a specific event in John’s Gospel: the first, “in which he purged the temple” (John 2:13); the second, “in which he healed the sick man on the Sabbath, at the pool of Bethesda” (John 5:1-2); the third, mentioned as approaching in John 6; and the fourth, “a little before his death.”6 That fourth Passover marks the ministry’s close: Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Related Doctrines

References

  1. Benedict Pictet, Christian Theology, trans. Frederick Reyroux (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1845), 254. ↩

  2. Pictet, 254. ↩

  3. Pictet, 254-255. ↩

  4. Pictet, 255. ↩

  5. Pictet, 256. ↩

  6. Pictet, 256. ↩