The Two Year Ministry of Jesus
ABSTRACT: This article analyzing the word
second-first (deuteroprotos) Sabbath of Luke 6:1 demonstrates that an
understanding of this word leads to the conclusion that the public ministry of
Jesus was just two years in length. This allows several periods of Jesus’
ministry to be calendared with a fair degree of accuracy. The second section of
this article presents the day-by-day ministry in narrative and calendar forms.
Many insights as discovered as one calendars Jesus’ ministry accurately.
Copyright
Ó 2000 Bruce Alan Killian email bruce@tckillian.com
To index updated
9/13/00 file: http://www.tckillian.com/bible/Jesus2yearMinistry.htm
Luke 6:1 On the second-first Sabbath Jesus was
going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain,
rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. The mention of the
second-first (deuteroprwtw) Sabbath in Luke 6:1 is not
understood by interpreters. Not being understood, it has been dropped by many
modern translations. It doesn’t mean
the second after the first; otherwise, it would be referred to simply as the
second Sabbath. This second-first
refers to the first Sabbath following the Passover celebrated in the second
month. The second Passover was celebrated for those who were unclean or
traveling at the normal time of Passover. The first Sabbath following the second
Passover or the second-first Sabbath.
The only time the Sabbaths were numbered was from the day after the
Sabbath following Passover until the Sabbath before the day of Pentecost. The day after the Sabbath following Passover
was referred to as the ‘first fruits’, the ‘wave offering’, or the Omer.
Pentecost occurs on the day following the eighth Sabbath following Passover. If
it were the second Sabbath following Passover it would be referred to as the
second Sabbath not the second-first Sabbath. In this verse there is a second
time related factor; the picking and eating of grain in the fields by the
disciples. Always legal after the Omer
(first Sunday following Passover) and indicative of the spring grain harvests
from just after Passover to just after Pentecost.
Researching the meaning of
this deuteroprotos word is difficult. Robertson says, “It is undoubtedly
spurious”, and “If it were genuine we should not know what it means.”
Metzger, proposed a scribe added the word first, another added the word second
canceling out the word first. A third scribe misunderstood and combined the
words into second-first and inserted it into the text, convoluted and unlikely.
Arndt and Gingrich say, “occurs no where else”, “word of doubtful meaning. Even
ancient interpreters understandably could make nothing of it.”
Thayer is unusual in giving a definition of this word, “seem to be, the second
of the first Sabbaths after the feast of Passover.”
This makes some sense because the Israelites were to start a new count of weeks
on the day following the first Sabbath following Passover. But the better
understanding is how this is counted today. Each of these days or weeks is
called counting the Omer so rather than the second first Sabbath it would be
called the first Omer Sabbath.
Most
people believe that Jesus public ministry was over three years long, but this
is based on very little evidence. In John’s gospel, three Passovers are
mentioned (2:13, 6:4, and 13:1); some believe an unnamed feast in John 5:1 was
an additional Passover. In Mark, an early six months of Jesus’ ministry
disappeared between verses 1:13 and 14, in Matthew between 4:11 and 12, and in
Luke between Luke 4:13 and 14. In these cases Jesus was baptized, led into the
wilderness, returned after forty days, and then disappeared for about 6 months.
The announcement of the Jubilee in Luke 4:16-21 was the next event and placed
in October. In John, a wedding feast at Cana, a Passover in Jerusalem and a
trip filled in this 6-month period to the Jordan River to baptize. This last
event is assumed to fill the following 6 months see John 3:22 to 4:3. John then tells us Jesus that went up to
Sychar and spent two days talking to the woman at the well and the people of
Sychar. This was followed immediately by John 5:1 “a feast of the Jews”,
normally this feast is either taken to be the following Passover, or more often
the Feast of tabernacles in October where Jesus heals a man invalid for 38
years. Jesus in Galilee follows this and the Passover was near, an entire year.
When this second-first Sabbath occurs after the middle of the second Jewish
month, there is no reason to stretch the events of the early part of Jesus
Ministry. This places Jesus’ announcement of ‘the year of the Lord’s favor’ two
weeks earlier on a Sabbath and the first day of the second month. This also
allows enough time so that the unnamed feast of the Jews of John 5:1 fits in
naturally with the feast of Weeks (Pentecost), a feast never mentioned in the
gospels. See the calendar starting on page 9 for a day-by-day sequence of events. The two years of
Jesus’ ministry are a Sabbath year and Jubilee year pair see Jubilee Timetable.
A purpose for making Jesus
ministry longer is to make up years to account for the belief that Jesus was
born in 4 BC and was 30 year old when he began to minister and died in AD 30 or
AD 33. The Bible nowhere states the length of Jesus’ ministry. The author
demonstrates that Jesus’ birth was in 1 BC see Dionysius Exiguus.
The length of Jesus public
ministry appears to be about 2 years, rather than the standard figure of 3
years, for the following reasons. The length of his ministry is to be fixed by
the number of Passovers during his ministry. Jesus observed three Passovers
during his ministry,
not four as is commonly proposed. Only
three Passovers are specifically stated in the gospels and all mentioned by
John. Passovers: John 2:15, 6:4, and 13:1.
This would make the public ministry of Jesus to be just over 2 years.
The Passovers are the beginning, middle and end of Jesus ministry. Following this argument is most easily done
with a harmony of the gospels or another work that sequences the events of
Jesus’ public ministry in all the gospels.
The author has several and all are in general agreement as the time and
sequence of these events.
1.
The
unnamed feast in John 6:1 is often proposed to be a Passover. John referred to
the feast of Passover 10 times, why in one case would he refer to it as a feast
of the Jews. The correct view is that
this unnamed feast is the feast of Weeks or Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost is never mentioned in
the gospels. John does once mention the Feast of Tabernacles and once mention
of the Feast of Dedication.
2.
The
gospels of Luke and John are chronological. The sequence of events is this:
Jesus was baptized and then fasted for 40 days. Then Jesus met his first
disciples, and
together they went to a wedding feast in Cana.
They went to the Passover feast in Jerusalem. Jesus’ disciples baptized people at the
Jordan.
John the Baptist was arrested and Jesus immediately departed for Galilee
passing through Samaria. He then went to Capernaum where it is likely that his
new disciples left him. He then journeyed back and passed through the city of
Cana.
Jesus then went the short distance to Nazareth and announced a year of the
Lord’s Favor. Jesus then
returned to Capernaum and chose his apostles.
Shortly after this, he was accused of allowing his disciples to pick grain on
the Sabbath. The group
then journeyed to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews, Pentecost.
These events took a few months not an entire year and a half.
3.
The
mention of the second-first (deuteroprotos) Sabbath in Luke 6:1. Placing this a
month after the normal Passover gives time for the events to transpire—it makes
more sense. If it were the second Sabbath following Passover it would be
referred to as the second Sabbath not the second-first Sabbath.
4.
The
picking and eating of grain in the fields by the disciples Luke 6:1. Always legal after the Omer (first Sunday
following Passover) and indicative of the spring harvest from just after
Passover to just after Pentecost.
5.
In
John 5:2 Jesus heals an invalid resting in the colonnades. This is during the
unnamed ‘feast of the Jews’ Those seeking healing would be unlikely to be
resting in the colonnades during the winter, as it would be too cold.
6.
The
belief that the announcement of the acceptable year of the Lord, announced by
Jesus refers to the Jubilee, which must occur in the fall. Here it is proposed that Jesus announced the
Sabbath rest year immediately followed by the Jubilee rest year. The Jubilee year was the time that slaves
were to be released. Jesus was announcing freedom from the slavery to sin. While the Jubilee was to be announced in the
fall the Sabbath year started in the spring. Jesus may be calling attention to
a calendar problem. He makes this announcement on the first day of the second
month—probably this month should have been the first month.
7.
The
interpretation of the parable of the fig tree and the cursing of the fig tree
requires a 4-year ministry for Jesus.
This is not so stated, but Jesus does minister in parts of 4 years. The very end of one year, two full years and
the very beginning of the fourth. He
did curse the fig tree before the fruit could be eaten, because there was no
evidence of fruit, which appears when the leaves appear.
8.
In
John 4:45 It is implied that the Passover feast was recently past.
9.
John
the Baptist’s ministry was to be the forerunner for his ministry to continue
long after the start of Jesus’ ministry would only be confusing to the people.
10.
When
Jesus was at Sychar talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, the fields were
covered with grain ready to harvest John 4:35. Jesus probably ate of this grain
John 4:32, and it is 4 months to the harvest. The Gezer calendar tells us that
the wheat and barley harvests are called out as separate from the harvest. The
harvest refers to the olive harvest in August and September four months later.
Assumptions:
1.
The
Apostles memory for the sequence of events of Jesus' ministry would be the
sharpest at the beginning and end of their time with Jesus and for unusual
events.
2.
Jesus'
purpose was to train, establish and build his church. The sooner the apostles
were chosen, the more time Jesus could spend training them.
3.
Jesus
and disciples kept the Old Covenant law, so they attended the three weeklong
festivals each year: Passover, Pentecost and Booths. Jesus and the disciples
did not travel a significant distance on the Sabbath.
4.
The
ministry of John the Baptist began about 5 to 6 months before Jesus’ baptism,
because John was between 5 and 6 months older than Jesus was.
5.
Jesus
and disciples could travel about 25 miles per day, and family caravans move
about 20 miles/day.
The Contrary
Evidence
It is assumed that John the
Baptist did not start ministering until he turned thirty years of age. Tiberius
Caesar came to the throne in September 14 AD after Augustus Caesar died on 19
August AD 14. Because John the Baptist turned 30 just before the anniversary of
the death of Tiberius Caesar, his ministry started late in the 15th
year of Tiberius. Luke 3:1-2, In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar … the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. The date
of Augustus Caesar’s death is 19 Aug AD 14. The 15th year would
start Aug 19, AD 28 and end Aug 18, AD 29.
If this event were actually one year later, John’s ministry would start at the
very end of the 15th year as he turns 30 years old 11 August AD 30.
He was in his 5th month of ministry when Jesus came to him to be
baptized in January AD 31. There is a problem here in that the 15th
year of Tiberius appears to be one year too early. This could be solved by
three method all believed to be incorrect—First, John the Baptist’s ministry
could have spanned 18 months. Second, if Jesus died in 32 AD. Third, Jesus’
ministry lasts three years. It could be that the 14 AD date for the death of
Augustus so often quoted is actually 15 AD. Then Tiberius’ 15th year
was actually 30 AD.
It is assumed that Jesus was about 30 to mean that he was almost exactly 30,
but that his baptism did not occur “on” his birthday. See calendar page 9. If Jesus turned thirty in late December AD 30 or
early January AD 31, then John would be thirty in August AD 30. It is here
believed John the Baptist’s ministry started about early August AD 30 and had
been going for about 5 months at the time Jesus was baptized. John’s ministry
would not then have spanned a Passover pilgrimage from Galilee. Had it spanned
a Passover pilgrimage then Jesus would already have had an opportunity to be
baptized by John. This is unlikely. For the three Jewish pilgrim feasts:
Passover, Weeks and Booths all faithful Jewish men went to Jerusalem. John the
Baptist being a priest would be ministering in Jerusalem during the three
pilgrim festivals.
Chronological Narrative of
the First Months of the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ
Most dates are approximate. About
Monday, January 8, AD 31 (Julian calendar) Jesus left Nazareth for a
thirty-mile trip to the Jordan River and John the Baptist. John the Baptist was
then baptizing at the Jordan River about 15 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.
That same day John the Baptist announced the presence among the people of the
Messiah. Early
Tuesday Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. This was January 9, AD
31 on the Julian calendar, January 7, AD 31 on the Gregorian calendar, and
Tevet 22 on the Jewish calendar. That day Jesus’ started a forty-day fast.
The fast actually lasted forty-six days because it was illegal to fast on a
feast day and the Sabbath days were feast days.
It is assumed that a fast would end on a Sabbath, as this would put the longest
possible period of continuous fasting at the end of the period of fasting.
Josephus interpreting the reading of the Law during the feast of Tabernacles as
specifically prohibiting fasting on feast days.
Jesus returned to the Jordan and John the Baptist pointed Him out as the Lamb
of God.
Jesus was probably visible in the distance, but not nearby. The following day
at 10 AM, John again identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God and Jesus received his
first disciples Andrew and John.
During the period of his fast, Jesus was in the wilderness of Judah. This would
be the area west of the Dead Sea and if he wandered during this period may have
included the area down to the Negev. It is likely that Jesus ended the forty
days at Mt Sinai, because the only other recorded forty-day fasts, those of
Moses and Elijah both ended at Mt. Sinai. Mt Sinai is also called Horeb.
Moses and Elijah were also tested during their fasts. God made some unusual
provisions for Moses’ and Elijah’s fasts Moses went without water and Elijah
was fed special bread and water by an angel.
On
the forth day following the end of Jesus’ fast was the feast of Purim. This was
the fiftieth day since Jesus’ baptism, almost like a jubilee day for the start
of His ministry. Enough time for Jesus to rest on the Sabbath and then hustle
north 130 miles to the Jordan River. It seems likely that these disciples of
John the Baptist who became Jesus’ earliest disciples took time off from
fishing or similar work and used the time of the feast Purim to visit John.
While with John they were taught and baptized. John the Baptist may have
recently moved his ministry closer to Galilee to make the trip shorter for
those from Galilee. The gospel of John gives day-by-day detail of what was
occurring during this period. The Pharisees challenged John the Baptist and
rejected his message and teaching. The next day the second day of Purim, John
announced that Jesus is the Lamb of God. The day following Purim about 10 AM,
John the Baptist encouraged his disciples John and Andrew to follow Jesus.
After spending the day with Jesus, in the evening, they went to get their gear
and find their brothers. Peter and James became disciples that evening, the
second day. Andrew brings Peter to Jesus (maybe following day).
Because on Saturday, John the Baptist ministered in the Temple in the course of
Abijah for eight days, no later than Friday morning he had to leave to Journey
to Jerusalem. See Dionysius
Exiguus for the details of the dating of the priestly courses. It is likely
that at that time he criticized Herod and Herodias’ adulterous union. On the
following day, everyone was getting ready to make their way back to Galilee.
However, in the crowds, Jesus located at least two more disciples Nathaniel
of Cana and Philip. Since their route took the group directly to a wedding in
Cana and Jesus’ mother is at that same wedding, she may have joined the group
as they passed through Nazareth. Was Nathaniel a member of the family of the
bride or groom and did he invite the entire group? It is about forty miles from
the Jordan River uphill to the city of Cana; it is assumed that this trip took
about two days.
On the third day (we would
say the day after tomorrow) they arrived in Cana of Galilee and went to a
wedding feast. However, there is a second way to look at this third day. The
traditional Jewish wedding was on Tuesday, the third day of the week, because
in Genesis 1 on the third day twice God said it is good. The Jews referred to the
days by number rather than by name, except Friday was the day of preparation
and Saturday was the Sabbath. Here the third day probably refers to both the
day after tomorrow and Tuesday. The traditional wedding lasted one week. The
changing of water into wine probably did not occur near the beginning of the
wedding week because reasonable plans would have been made for wedding
provisions. Nor at the end of the week, because it would have been unnecessary
to create so much wine. It is unlikely that so much water would be drawn on the
Sabbath. Therefore, the most likely days for the miracle are either Friday or
Sunday.
Jesus then journeyed to
Capernaum for a few days through new moon festival, at which point he journeyed
to Jerusalem for the Passover.
We assume the term ‘the Passover was near’ means that they had celebrated the
new moon festival of the month of Abib/Nisan. The journey to Jerusalem was
probably in the company of a great caravan of slow moving travelers. Before
Passover, Jesus cleanses the Temple for the first time. This was a direct stab
at the religious leaders who profited from this business and put Jesus on their
bad side from the start. During Passover Jesus did his first public miracles
and had a conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus came by night—already
association with Jesus was frowned upon.
After the Passover and the
week of Unleavened Bread including the Omer (or wave offering), Jesus and
disciples journeyed to the Jordan River and baptized. Shortly after this John
was arrested—He had made comments at Jerusalem during his ministry as a priest
in the Temple and at the Passover about Herod and Herodias his brother’s wife,
but could not be arrested because of fear of what the crowds would have done.
Now as the feast ended and the crowd dispersed back to their homes, the chance
of a riot was diminished, John was arrested.
There was no considerable
time between Jesus’ temptation and the arrest of John the Baptist—Matthew
4:11-12, Mark 1:13-14 and Luke 4:13-14 apparently make these sequential events.
Most chronologies of Jesus’ ministry have the ministry of John the Baptist
continuing in parallel with Jesus for at least six months. This can be shown
wrong from Acts 13:25 As John was
completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No,
but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' John
the Baptist’s work was nearly complete ‘before’ Jesus was baptized; therefore,
John the Baptist’s ministry did not extend much beyond Jesus’ return from
fasting. Most have John’s ministry extend at least into the following year.
Most assign John about six months from the start of his ministry until the
baptism of Jesus, therefore his ministry could not extend more than a few more
months and still be “nearly complete”.
Jesus and his disciples
returned from the Jordan to Galilee passing through Sychar a Samaritan town.
While there, Jesus spent part of two days talking to those of the town. The
grain in the fields was ready to harvest.
As he arrived in Galilee, the people remembered the miracles he had recently
done in Jerusalem at the Passover.
This comment does not fit with the three-year ministry, because that places
Jesus’ return to Galilee in the fall.
Though Jesus was accompanied by his disciples, but by this time, they
were apparently anxious to get back to work. So Jesus went to Capernaum and
immediately headed back toward Nazareth, but before he gets there a royal
official with a sick son back in Capernaum caught up to Jesus in Cana 17 miles
away. Jesus did not have the time to accompany the official back to Capernaum
because he had a divine appointment in Nazareth. Jesus told the official his
son was healed. The servants of the official met the official while he was
still on the way back to Capernaum. Maybe one of Jesus’ disciples accompanied
the servants who brought the news of this remote healing. This made sure that
the news of this healing reached Nazareth in a timely fashion by the following
Sabbath. John’s gospel also places this healing as the second miraculous sign
Jesus performed (the first was turning water into wine a month earlier). In the
chronology of those who propose a three-year ministry, this event occurs at
least six months later.
Jesus continued about 10
miles further to Nazareth. There on the following Sabbath, the first day of the
second month (Iyar) Jesus announced that He is the Messiah—anointed by God and
on this day He is proclaiming a year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus referred this
day to a month earlier when he said to his mother that ‘my time has not yet
come’. This day also fulfills the prophesy of Daniel 9:25 “until the anointed
one—the ruler comes… This did not occur on Palm Sunday as many suppose, because
the anointed ruler had come nearly two years earlier. Jesus was rejected in his
hometown and they attempted to kill him. Therefore Jesus pulled up stakes and
moved to Capernaum.
In Capernaum on the
following Sabbath, Jesus taught at the synagogue where he drove out an evil
spirit. On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon Peter’s house. Making
contact with his future apostles, he healed Simon’s mother-in-law and that
evening many others. The following morning Jesus went off and prayed then set
off to visit other towns in the area. Probably the next day Jesus called his
first disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John. The following day he healed a
leper, a couple of days later he healed a paralytic, while he continued to call
additional disciples. Friday, Jesus called Matthew and that night went to a
party at Matthew’s house. The following day was the second-first Sabbath. There
is no reason to place this event nearly a year later. This was still the start
of Jesus ministry, he was choosing those who will accompany him and had yet to
designate anyone as an apostle. Jesus continued to teach his disciples, on the
following Sabbath, he healed a man with a withered hand. Some of the Pharisees
jealous of Jesus designated healing as work and sought to kill Jesus as a
lawbreaker. Although Jesus had only been ministering publicly for a little over
a month, he had already made enemies who were bent on killing him. Jesus was
about to choose his disciples—not sometime after a year of ministry, but just a
month after his first public miracles.
The next Sabbath is the
second-first Sabbath four weeks after the weekly Sabbath following Passover. It
was just after the middle of the second month, Iyar 15. The fact that they were
picking grain says that it was ripe, but not harvested. It also must be after the Omer or they were
breaking the Law.
If this grain was barley then it is something of a sign that the Jews were
celebrating the month of Nisan too early. If the wheat is ripe then Pentecost
is near and it is in fact only about three weeks later. Can we interpret that
the Jesus announced the acceptable year of the Lord only two weeks earlier as a
signal that Jesus was calling attention to the Jews being off by one month on
when to start the year? Could the dating of the events of Jesus ministry be off
because the wrong month was celebrated?
We find this point in Jesus ministry by finding a month that the Sabbath
falls on the first day of the month Iyar (2nd month) AD 31. Sabbath
year is announced on the first day, which is also Sabbath. The same
circumstances occur in AD 28 for those who see the year 30 AD as the year of
the crucifixion. If this were the Jubilee year being announced ‘this day’ must
be the 10th of Tishri the seventh month. Jesus would then have to
leave Nazareth for Jerusalem for the feast of Booths or Tabernacles not for
Capernaum as he did. The first day of the year would be very proper for
announcing the Sabbath year.
The following Sabbath Jesus
heals a man with a withered hand. This generated the further ire of the
Pharisees for again ‘breaking the Sabbath’. A few days later, Jesus chose his
apostles. Just over a week later while on the way to Jerusalem to celebrate the
feast of Weeks, Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain. There seems to be a
link between ‘three’ and resurrection, this day is the third day of the week,
the third day of the third month. Jesus is also 30 at this time and he raised
three people during is ministry. Now we reach the unidentified feast of the
Jews of John 5:1. This feast was the feast of Weeks; a feast never identified
in the gospels although all other suggested major feasts are identified in the
gospels by name. While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the feast, the disciples of
John the Baptist questioned Jesus. Only a few days later John the Baptist was
dead. When John publicly identified Jesus as the Anointed of God, his ministry
was over. He did not continue to baptize at the Jordan for another six months.
He was put into prison and shortly there after executed, apparently during the
feast of Weeks. Jesus near the end of the feast, on the Sabbath, healed a man
who had been an invalid for 38 years. The Jews are now openly trying to kill
Jesus. From this point on Jesus cannot enter Judea publicly without risking his
life. We find that Jesus spent very little time in Judea because of this
threat. When he went into Judea, it was usually in secret.
John the Baptist was dead
before the unnamed feast of the Jews in John 5:1 was completed. Jesus had
referred to John in the past tense.
Josephus places John’s imprisonment in Machaerus, a prison on the far side of
the Dead Sea and his death in AD 34. Nevertheless, John was a prophet and Jesus
had just said all prophets die in Jerusalem.
Maybe Herod transferred John to Jerusalem at John’s request to keep the feast
of Pentecost. Here it is proposed that John lived less than 50 days from the
time of his arrest.
Problem the only viable
years for a Friday crucifixion are AD 30 and 33. If Jesus’ ministry was 3 years
then the date for John the Baptists ministry fits very well starting about 6
months before Jesus’ baptism in the fall of AD 29. The problem is that we now
have good evidence that Jesus’ public ministry was only 2 years. This makes the
ministry of John either at least a year and a half or it places the 15th
year of Tiberius ending not before mid-August AD 30. I like this option for
another reason but there are some assumptions in my reasoning.
After this point, it gets
harder to track the day-by-day or even week-by-week events of Jesus’ ministry.
We do know that he trained his apostles and then sent them out two by two to
minister to the towns of Israel. At the end of the year his disciples regrouped
in Capernaum at which time Jesus fed the 5000 men and turned the crowds away
from following him by telling them that they must eat his flesh and drink his
blood. The crowds are abhorred and even the apostles have difficulty with this
teaching. Nevertheless, Jesus sticks to his story. For a day-by-day review of
the events of the early period of the second year of Jesus ministry see Easter
Transfiguration.
From the time of the second
Passover of Jesus’ ministry, the chronology follows the standard chronology of
the last year of Jesus ministry.
It has been observed that
the ministry of Jesus during the first year at least as far as miracles are
concerned was confined to the house of Israel. When Jesus sent the twelve out
to minister in pairs, he sent them only to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. He did talk to the Samaritan woman and the people of Sychar but no
miracles are recorded. Jesus did also heal the servant of a Centurion at the
request of the synagogue leaders, but the servant may have been Jewish, and the
synagogue leaders had begged Jesus to help.
There is a transition after the rejection of Jesus’ message of the
‘Bread of Life’ in John 6. After this, Jesus does start to minister to the
Gentiles. This is first shown in the healing of the daughter of the
Syro-Phoenician woman where Jesus says that he was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. But he then proceeds to the Decapolis not only healing
the gentiles but also feeding 4000 of them. When Jesus sent out the seventy or
seventy-two he did not give them instructions to go only to the house of
Israel. One can discern that they went to the gentile areas from the cities
that Jesus later visits following them.
Conclusion
From the earliest days of the Church, the two-year
ministry has been proposed. In the Jewish culture, one was commanded to count
the Sabbaths from the time of the wave offering until the feast of Weeks. The
law also permitted the Passover to be celebrated in the second month under
certain conditions. If one were counting from this second Passover one would
count the first Sabbath following the second Passover as the second-first
Sabbath. This concept has apparently escaped all modern chronologers of the
ministry of Jesus have missed this point. When properly understood the early
weeks of Jesus ministry comes into clearer focus. Jesus was active in ministry
from the time of his first public appearance. He promptly chose his apostles.
He was constantly on the run for his life. The evangelists record many details
of Jesus’ first few months. In the three-year ministry, we are left with very
few details of Jesus entire first year of ministry.
John the Baptist’s ministry starts in early August 30 AD and lasts
about 8 months to prepare the people for Jesus.
31 AD January Julian
Calendar dates. To convert to Gregorian subtract 2 days Tuesday Jan 9
becomes Tuesday Jan 7
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
Short days less distance
traveled
|
1
|
|
2
|
ß Luke 3:21-23
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
Luke 3:23
Jesus ~age 30
|
|
7
|
Mark 1:9Þ
|
8
|
From Nazareth travel 30 miles
|
9
|
Jesus’ Baptism Mark 1:9-11
|
10
|
Fast day 2
Mark 1:12-13
|
11
|
Fast day 3
|
12
|
¬temptations¯ Luke
4:2
|
13
|
Tevet 28*
|
|
14
|
Fast day 5
Tevet 29
|
15
|
Fast day 6
Shevat 1
|
16
|
Fast day 7
|
17
|
Fast day 8
|
18
|
Fast day 9
|
19
|
Fast day 10
|
20
|
Shevat 6
|
|
21
|
Fast day 11
|
22
|
Fast day 12
|
23
|
Fast day 13
|
24
|
Fast day 14
|
25
|
Fast day 15
|
26
|
Fast day 16
|
27
|
Shevat 13
|
|
28
|
Fast day 17
|
29
|
Fast day 18
|
30
|
Fast day 19
|
31
|
Fast day 20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Sabbaths were feast days Lev 23:2-3, fasting was not
permitted on feast days Neh 8:9-10 see Josephus for interpretation.
31 AD February Assumes Bethany beyond the Jordan where
John baptized was about 12 miles South of the Sea of Galilee.
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Fast day 21
|
2
|
Fast day 22
|
3
|
Shevat 20
|
|
4
|
Fast day 23
|
5
|
Fast day 24
|
6
|
Fast day 25
|
7
|
Fast day 26
|
8
|
Fast day 27
|
9
|
Fast day 28
|
10
|
Shevat 27
|
|
11
|
Fast day 29
Shevat 28
|
12
|
Fast day 30
Shevat 29
|
13
|
Fast day 31
Shevat 30
|
14
|
Fast day 32
Adar 1
|
15
|
Fast day 33
Adar 2
|
16
|
Fast day 34
ß Luke 4:2-13
|
17
|
Adar 4
|
|
18
|
Fast day 35
|
19
|
Fast day 36
|
20
|
Fast day 37
|
21
|
Fast day 38
Adar 8
|
22
|
Fast day 39
|
23
|
Temptation # Mat 4:2-11
|
24
|
Angels refresh
Jesus
|
|
25
|
Jesus travels from
Mt. Sinai
|
26
|
Adar 13
|
27
|
Purim Est 10:13
John 1:19-28
|
28
|
Lamb of God John 1:29-34
|
|
|
|
Mark 1:13Ý
|
|
|
*The Feast of Purim is the reason Andrew, John,
Peter, Philip, & Nathaniel took off work and traveled to John the Baptist.
31 AD March #Matthew,
Mark and Luke’s gospels skip from the Temptation to John’s arrest about April
7.
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1st Disciples John 1:35-39
|
2
|
Disciple Peter
John 1:40-2
|
3
|
More disciples John 1:43-51*
|
|
4
|
Adar 19
1st Sign
ß
|
5
|
travel 40 miles Adar 20
|
6
|
Wedding
John 2:1-2
|
7
|
wedding 2
Adar 22
|
8
|
wedding 3
Adar 23
|
9
|
wedding 4
Adar 24
|
10
|
wedding 5
Adar 25
|
|
11
|
Water to wine
John 2:3-11
|
12
|
wedding 7
Adar 27
|
13
|
travel 18 miles
John 2:12
|
14
|
new moon
Capernaum
|
15
|
Nisan 1
new years day
|
16
|
Nisan 2
|
17
|
Nisan 3
|
|
18
|
To Jerusalem
John 2:13
|
19
|
Nisan 5
|
20
|
travel 100 miles
Nisan 6
|
21
|
Nisan 7
|
22
|
Nisan 8
|
23
|
Temple Cleansed
|
24
|
Nisan 10
ÜJohn 2:14-22
|
|
25
|
Nisan 11
|
26
|
Nisan 12
|
27
|
Nisan 13
John 2:23-25 Þ
|
28
|
Passover public miracles
|
29
|
Unleavened bread
day 1
|
30
|
Unl.bread 2
Nisan 16
|
31
|
Unl.bread 3
Nisan 17
|
31 AD April *John the Baptist served
as a priest in his course Abijah, from March 3 through March 10, 31.
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
1
|
Nicodemus
John 3:1-21
|
2
|
Unl.bread 5
Nisan 19
|
3
|
Unl.bread 6
Nisan 20
|
4
|
Unl.bread 7
Nisan 21
|
5
|
Baptizing +
John 3:22-4:2
|
6
|
Mark 1:14Þ
Matt 4:12Þ
|
7
|
John arrested John 4:3
|
|
8
|
to Sychar
John 4:4-42
Nisan 25
|
9
|
Sychar*
John 4:43
Nisan 26
|
10
|
Passover recent
Galilee John 4:45
Luke 4:14-15
|
11
|
Capernaum
Luke 4:23
John 4:46
|
12
|
Cana
John 4:46-54
2nd Sign
|
13
|
Year of the Þ
Lord’s favor
Nisan 30
|
14
|
Nazareth # Luke 4:16-30 Iyar 1
|
|
15
|
travel & preach Mark 1:14-15
|
16
|
Iyar 3
|
17
|
Iyar 4
|
18
|
Iyar 5
|
19
|
Ý
Disciples
go fishing?
|
20
|
Mark 1:21-34Þ
Iyar 7
|
21
|
Capernaum Luke 4:31-41
|
|
22
|
Luke 4:42-43
Mark 1:35-39
Omer 4
|
23
|
1st
Disciples
Luke 5:1-11
Mark 1:16-20
|
24
|
heals Leper Luke 5:12-15
Mark 1:40-45
|
25
|
Jesus prayed
Luke 5:16
Iyar
12
|
26
|
heals Paralytic
Luke 5:17-26
Mark 2:1-12
|
27
|
2nd
Passover calls Matthew
Luke 5:27-39
|
28
|
Grain in fields
2nd 1st
Sabbath Luke 6:1-5
|
|
29
|
Omer 5
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Matt 9:1-8Ý
|
|
Mark 2:13-22Ý
|
|
Mk 2:23-28Ý
|
+Travels to Jordan River and baptizes the
Galilean pilgrims returning from the Passover in Jerusalem.
*John 4:35 four months and then the harvest—The
Gezer calendar says August and September are the months of harvest.
31 AD May #Jesus announces the
Sabbath/Jubilee year pair See Leviticus 25:4, 8-9, 21-22.
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
ßMark
3:13-19
|
1
|
Iyar 18
|
2
|
Iyar 19
|
3
|
|
4
|
Matt 12:9-15Þ Mark 3:1-6Þ
|
5
|
Withered hand
Luke 6:6-11
|
|
6
|
Jesus Prayed Luke 6:12
|
7
|
12 Apostles Luke 6:13-7:10
|
8
|
Iyar 25
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
Iyar 29
|
|
13
|
Omer 7
Sivan 1
|
14
|
Sivan 2
|
15
|
Widow of Nain Sivan 3
|
16
|
ÜLuke 7:11-16
|
17
|
travel 65 miles
|
18
|
Sivan 6
|
19
|
Sivan 7
|
|
20
|
Feast of Weeks
John 5:1
|
21
|
News in Judea Luke 7:17
|
22
|
Sivan 10
|
23
|
John’s disciples Luke 7:18-35
|
24
|
Sivan 12
Luke 7:36-50
|
25
|
John Dead
John 5:33-35
|
26
|
heals invalid John 5:2-47
|
|
27
|
From town to town Luke 8:1
|
28
|
Sivan 16
|
29
|
Sivan 17
|
30
|
Sivan 18
|
31
|
Came Home
Mark
3:20-30
|
|
|
|
|
Interlude between
Pentecost 31 and Passover 32
Luke 8 –9:8 spans the period from May 31 to April 32 went
from town to town and then sent the twelve out to minister.
Mat 10; Mark 6:7—The apostles are sent out two by two—Mark
6:7-11; Matt 10:1-42 and Luke 9:1-5.
Matt 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9 and Mark 6:14-29 flash backs re
John the Baptists imprisonment and death.
John has a big gap before John 6:1 from May AD 31 until
April AD 32 —emphasizing the Eucharist in John 6.
John has a second gap between 6:71 and 7:1—The Jews are
trying to kill him now the feast of booths is near September 32.
32 AD March Probably
Ve Adar an intercalary month
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
Adar 30
|
3
|
Adar II 1
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
Adar II 8
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
13
|
|
14
|
|
15
|
|
|
16
|
|
17
|
Adar II 15
|
18
|
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
|
22
|
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
Adar II 22
|
25
|
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
28
|
|
29
|
|
|
30
|
|
31
|
Adar II 29
new moon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32 AD April
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
Green grass
Mark 6:39Þ
|
|
5000*
Fed in all 4 gospelsÞ
|
1
|
Passover Near
John 6:4 Nisan 1
|
2
|
Bread of life
John 6:22-71
|
3
|
Does not go to
Judea John 7:1
|
4
|
Near Tyre
Mark 7:24-30
|
5
|
Nisan 5
|
|
6
|
travel 50 miles
|
7
|
Decapolis
Mark 7:31-37
|
8
|
Mark 8:1-9Þ
Matt 15:29-39
|
9
|
4000 Fed; w/ Jesus
3 days
|
10
|
# Dalmanutha
Mark 8:10-21
|
11
|
Ý Matt 15:21-28
|
12
|
Nisan 12
|
|
13
|
Bethsaida
Mark 8: 22-26
|
14
|
Passover
Caesarea Philippi
Matt 16:13-28
|
15
|
ÜMark 8:31-33
|
16
|
travel 100 miles
¬ ®
|
17
|
Ý Matt 15:39-16:12
|
18
|
|
19
|
Nisan 19
|
|
20
|
Transfiguration
Mt Nebo
|
21
|
Large crowd Luke 9:37
|
22
|
travel in secret Mark 9:31
|
23
|
|
24
|
|
25
|
2 drachma tax Matt 17:24
|
26
|
Nisan 26
|
|
27
|
Ý Matt 17:1-13
Mark 9:2-13
|
28
|
Ý Matt 17:14-21
Mark 9:14-29
|
29
|
Nisan 29
|
30
|
Nisan 30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon to be traveling at Passover so
that he spent the minimum time in Judea combining going to the second Passover
and Pentecost in only a few weeks and then probably incognito.
After Peter’s confession, selection as successor, 1st
mention of the church, and 1st specific prediction of Crucifixion.
#No need for Jesus to cleanse the temple he
wasn’t in Jerusalem at Passover
*The feeding of the 5000 unleavened bread—broken
not torn or cut, beware leaven of the Pharisees, but barley not wheat.
See Easter
Transfiguration for a discussion of the events of this particular month.
32 AD May
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Iyar 1
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
|
4
|
Omer 3
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
|
11
|
Omer 4
|
12
|
|
13
|
Jesus incognito?
|
14
|
2nd
Passover
Iyar 14
|
15
|
|
16
|
|
17
|
|
|
18
|
Omer 5
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
|
|
25
|
Omer 6
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
28
|
|
29
|
Iyar 29
|
30
|
Sivan 1
|
31
|
Sivan 2
|
John 7:8 By interpretation were these feasts optional
because of the distance?
32 AD June
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
1
|
Omer 7
Sivan 3
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
Pentecost
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
13
|
|
14
|
|
|
15
|
|
16
|
|
17
|
|
18
|
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
|
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
|
25
|
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
28
|
|
|
29
|
|
30
|
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Sabbath year and Jubilee years were to be times
of cessation of the normal toil of planting and reaping. Had all Israel
followed this command the people would have had abundant time to hear and
absorb the message of Jesus.
33 AD February
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
13
|
|
14
|
|
|
15
|
|
16
|
|
17
|
|
18
|
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
|
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
|
25
|
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
28
|
|
Ministry in Parea, Lazarus raised.
33 AD March
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
13
|
|
14
|
|
|
15
|
|
16
|
Mark 10:17-31
Luke 18:18-30 ß
|
17
|
|
18
|
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
Nisan 1
|
|
22
|
Passover Near
John 11:55-57
|
23
|
Setting Out
Matt 19:16-30
|
24
|
Nisan 4
|
25
|
To Jerusalem
Matt 20:17-20
|
26
|
Jericho
Matt 20:29-34
|
27
|
Luke 19:28
|
28
|
Bethany
John 12:1-11
|
|
29
|
Palm Sunday
John 12:12-19
|
30
|
fig tree cursed
Mat 21:18-19
|
31
|
fig tree withered
Nisan 11
|
Ý
|
Mark 10:32-45
Luke 18:31-34
|
Ý
|
Mark 10:46-52
Luke 18:35-19:27
|
|
|
Ý
|
Matt 26:6-13
Mark 14:3-9
|
33 AD April
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Plot to slay Jesus
Mat 26:2
|
2
|
Last Supper Mat 26:17
|
3
|
Crucifixion*
John 19:14-21
|
4
|
Nisan 15
Mat 27:62
|
|
5
|
Easter #
John 20:26-31
|
6
|
Nisan 17
Unl.bread 4
|
7
|
Nisan 18
Unl.bread 5
|
8
|
Nisan 19
Unl.bread 6
|
9
|
Nisan 20
Unl.bread 7
|
10
|
Nisan 21
travel
|
11
|
|
|
12
|
Appears to 10 &
Thomas
|
13
|
travel
Nisan 24
|
14
|
travel
Nisan 25
|
15
|
travel
Nisan 26
|
16
|
|
17
|
|
18
|
Nisan 29
|
|
19
|
Night fishing
3rd appearance
|
20
|
Iyar 1
ÜJohn 21:3,4,14
|
21
|
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
|
25
|
Iyar 6
|
|
26
|
Great commission Mat
28:16-20
|
27
|
1Co 15:16?
appears to 500
|
28
|
|
29
|
James
1 Co 15:7
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Preparation Day—Friday Luke 23:54-55; Mark
15:42; John 19:42
#First day of the week–Mat 28:1; Luke 24:1; Mark
16:29; John 20:1; the third day Luke 24:21. Resurrection
33 AD May
|
|
Sunday
|
|
Monday
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Wednesday
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Friday
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
Iyar 13
|
|
3
|
Omer 5
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
Iyar 20
|
|
10
|
Omer 6
|
11
|
travel
|
12
|
travel
|
13
|
travel
|
14
|
Ascension
Acts1:3,6-13
|
15
|
|
16
|
Iyar 27
|
|
17
|
Omer 7
|
18
|
Iyar 29
|
19
|
Matthias chosen
Acts 1:15-26
|
20
|
|
21
|
Ý Mark 16:15-19
Luke 24:49-53
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
|
24
|
Pentecost
Acts 2:1-41
|
25
|
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
28
|
|
29
|
|
30
|
heals Lame man
Acts 3:1-4:4
|
|
31
|
Sanhedrin
Acts 4:5-31
|
|
|
|
Sells Property
Acts 4:36-37
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ÜÝÞß
These symbols are used to indicate information should be in the nearby date.
¨ Events
covering a period of time.
Travel would span the gap between two events.
Shevat is the 11th Jewish month
Adar is the 12th month
Adar II is the 13th month
Nisan is the 1st month
Iyar is the 2nd month
Sivan is the 3rd month
Hits to this page: 
H