The Two Year Ministry of Jesus

ABSTRACT: This article analyzing the word second-first (deuteroprotos) Sabbath of Luke 6:1 demonstrates that understanding this word leads to the conclusion that the public ministry of Jesus was just two years in length. This allows calendaring of Jesus’ ministry with good 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.

To index file: http://www.scripturescholar.com/Jesus2yearMinistry.htm

The Length of Jesus Ministry

Most people believe that Jesus public ministry was over three years long, but this view is based on very little evidence.[1] The synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke only require Jesus’ public ministry to be about one year. John’s gospel gives a framework for a longer ministry. He mentions three Passovers (2:13, 6:4, and 13:1); but many believe an unnamed feast of the Jews in John 5:1 was an additional Passover. Besides the internal evidence for the duration of Jesus’ ministry, there is the necessity of fitting that ministry into the historical setting. If Jesus was born no later than 4 BC, started his public ministry when he was about thirty and died 30AD or better 33AD, then stretching his ministry to fit that period may be justified.

A strong argument against the three year view is that in Jesus’ first year of ministry is almost completely missing in the synoptic gospels. Jesus’ disciples meet and follow him, but wait a year to start recording the day by day, week by week events of his ministry. Against that view I propose that the most memorable events would be during the period of time following the disciples first encounter with Jesus. In Mark, an early 6 to 9 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 to 9 months. The announcement of the Jubilee in Luke 4:16-21 was the next event and is usually placed in October. In John, this 6 to 9-month period was filled in by a wedding feast at Cana, a Passover in Jerusalem and a trip to the Jordan River to baptize. This last event is assumed to fill the following 6 months see John 3:22 to 4:3. If Jesus spent 6 months with his disciples baptizing at the Jordan River, why does this period only fill one verse. 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. This is followed by Jesus in Galilee and the Passover was near, an entire year.[2] 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. A strong argument can be made that the eclipse of 4 BC is far less likely that the eclipse of December 1 BC. The eclipse that occurred in March 4 BC was a minor partial eclipse that was only visible from 2 to 4AM. This eclipse would only be noticed by a small number of people, and Josephus would be unlikely to record it. There was a partial eclipse in which more than half the orb was obscured that was visible for 2 hours from the time the moon became visible about 20 minutes after sunset on December 29, 1 BC. Since Herod died after the eclipse, but some two months before the Passover, this eclipse more closely fits the data regarding the time of the birth of Jesus.[3] The author demonstrates that Jesus’ birth was in 1 BC see Dionysius Exiguus.

The length of Jesus public ministry appears to be 2 years, rather than the standard figure of 3½ years, for the following reasons. The length of his ministry can be fixed by the number of Passovers during his ministry. Jesus observed three Passovers during his ministry,[4] not four as is commonly proposed. Only three Passovers are specifically stated in the gospels and all are mentioned by John. Passovers: John 2:15, 6:4, and 13:1. This would make the public ministry of Jesus to be just 2 years. The Passovers mark the beginning middle and end of Jesus’ ministry.[5]

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 also mention both the Feast of Tabernacles and 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,[6] and together they went to a wedding feast in Cana.[7] They went to the Passover feast in Jerusalem.[8] Jesus’ disciples baptized people at the Jordan.[9] John the Baptist was arrested and Jesus immediately departed for Galilee passing through Samaria. He then went to Capernaum. He then journeyed back and passed through the city of Cana.[10] Jesus then went the short distance to Nazareth and announced a year of the Lord’s Favor.[11] Jesus then returned to Capernaum and chose his apostles.[12] Shortly after this, he was accused of allowing his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath.[13] The group then journeyed to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews, Pentecost.[14] These events took about five 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 was the second Sabbath following Passover it would be referred to as the second Sabbath not the second-first Sabbath.[15]

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’. An invalid seeking healing would be unlikely to be resting in the colonnades during the winter, as it would be too cold.[16] Late May after Pentecost would be much more reasonable to wait there.

6. The belief that the announcement of the acceptable year of the Lord, announced by Jesus refers to the Jubilee year, which must occur in the fall. Here it is proposed that Jesus announced the Sabbath rest year immediately preceding 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 of the year.

7. Jesus also calls attention to the end of the Jubilee at the feast of Tabernacles in AD 32, because he refers to himself as the door, a reference that is associated with the Jubilee.

8. 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.

9. In John 4:45 It is implied that the Passover feast was recently past. This would only be so if Jesus’ baptism ministry was relatively brief.

10. 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. Also many people halfway through Jesus’ ministry thought that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, a position that they would be unlikely to hold if Jesus and John ministered side-by-side for six months at the Jordan River.

11. 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 was four 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. The feast of Tabernacles in early October celebrated the end of the harvest.

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. The first healing of a particular type would be remembered better than the tenth healing.

2. Jesus' purpose was to announce the kingdom, train his apostles, 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 week long 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.

5. Jesus and disciples could easily 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 15^th 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 15^th year would start Aug 19, AD 28 and end Aug 18, AD 29.[17] If this event were actually one year later, John’s ministry would start at the very end of the 15^th year as he turns 30 years old about 11 August AD 30. He was in his 5^th month of ministry when Jesus came to him to be baptized in January AD 31. There is a problem here in that the 15^th 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 lasted three years. It could be that the 14 AD date for the death of Augustus so often quoted is actually 15 AD. Then Tiberius’ 15^th year was actually 30 AD.[18] 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.

The Second First Sabbath

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;[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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 was 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.[22]

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.”[23] 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,[24] convoluted and unlikely. Arndt and Gingrich say, “occurs no where else”, “word of doubtful meaning. Even ancient interpreters understandably could make nothing of it.”[25] Thayer is unusual in giving a definition of this word, “seem to be, the second of the first Sabbaths after the feast of Passover.”[26] 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 the command to count the weeks was done.[27] 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.

Chronological Narrative of the First Months of the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ

Most dates are approximate. About Sunday, January 7, AD 31 (Julian calendar) Jesus left Nazareth for a 40 to 50-mile trip to the Jordan River and John the Baptist. John the Baptist was then baptizing at the Jordan River about 20 to 40 miles south of the Sea of Galilee. That same day John the Baptist announced the presence among the people of the Messiah.[28] 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.[29] The fast actually lasted forty-six days because it was illegal to fast on a feast day and the Sabbath days were feast days.[30] 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.[31] Jesus returned to the Jordan and John the Baptist pointed Him out as the Lamb of God.[32] 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.[33] 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.[34] 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.

The fourth 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 the 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. Andrew brings Peter to Jesus.[35] It is likely that John the Baptist sent John and Andrew to Jesus about the time he needed to leave, because on Saturday, John the Baptist ministered in the Temple in the course of Abijah for eight days, no later than Thursday morning he had to leave to journey the fifty or so miles 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[36] 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 fifty miles from the Jordan River uphill to the city of Cana; it is assumed that this trip took about two days.

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 1:10-12 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 Jewish 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 (unless it was a wedding gift). 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 including the new moon festival, at which point he journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover.[37] I assume that 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 brothers 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.[38] While there, Jesus spent part of two days talking to those of the town. The grain in the fields was ready to harvest.[39] As he arrived in Galilee, the people remembered the miracles he had recently done in Jerusalem at the Passover.[40] This comment does not fit with the three-year ministry, because that places Jesus’ return to Galilee in the fall. Although 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 by 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.[41] 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 (2^nd 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 10^th 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 Jesus was questioned by the disciples of John the Baptist. 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.[42] 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.[43] Maybe John was transferred to Jerusalem by Herod 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. Another indication of the shortness of the ministry of John the Baptist after Jesus appeared on the scene, is that nearly a year later when Jesus asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi who do the people say that I am. Their reply was some say you are John the Baptist—makes it clear that the people did not see the ministries of John and Jesus as occurring side by side.[44]

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 15^th 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 went into the wilderness and fed the 5000 men. The next day in Capernaum he turned the crowds away from following him by telling them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. The crowds were abhorred and even the apostles had difficulty with this teaching. Nevertheless, Jesus stuck 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 is worthy of note that the events of John 7:4 to 10:21 the Feast of Tabernacles and the healing of the man born blind by putting mud on his eyes all occurred within in a few days. This occurred in the context of the feast, closing the Jubilee year. Jesus did not go up to the feast at the usual time but came later in the middle of the feast (John 7:14) at which time he had recently done a miraculous healing of a man on the Sabbath (John 7:21-23). In John 9:1-10:21 in a follow-up visit to the man born blind, there is description of the full story that actually started on the Sabbath a few days earlier.

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 20 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	1^st Disciples John 1:35-39	2	Disciple Peter John 1:40-2	3	More disciples John 1:43-51^*
4	Adar 19 1^st 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 2^nd 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	1^st 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	2^nd Passover calls Matthew Luke 5:27-39	28	Grain in fields 2^nd 1^st 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 soon afterwards	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 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 1^st 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	2^nd 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	Sivan 17	16		17		18		19		20		21
22	Sivan 24	23		24		25		26		27		28	Sivan 30
29	Tammuz 1	30

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.

32 AD July

	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	Tammuz 29	28	Ab 1	29		30		31

32 AD August

	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	Ab 30	27	Elul 1	28		29		30
31

32 AD September

	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	Elul 29	25	Tishri 1	26		27
28		29		30

32 AD October

	Sunday		Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday		Saturday
						1		2		3		4	Yom Kippur Tishri 10
5		6		7		8		9	Tabernacles Tishri 15	10		11	healed blind^* John 9:1-10:21
12		13		14		15	Tishri 21	16	Tishri 22^# John 7:37	17		18
19		20		21		22		23		24	Tishri 30	25	Bul 1
26		27		28		29		30		31

*In the middle of the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:14) Jesus comes late to the feast in Jerusalem and healed a man born blind.

^#On the last and great day of the feast Jesus

Jubilee images: Sheepfold—Jesus is the door; Forgiveness of the woman caught in adultery; Freedom to slaves

32 AD November

	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	Bul 29
23	Kislev 1	24		25		26		27		28		29
30

32 AD December

	Sunday		Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday		Saturday
		1		2		3		4		5		6
7		8		9		10		11		12		13
14		15		16		17	Dedication John 10:22-39	18	Ü Kislev 25	19		20
21		22	Kislev 30	23	Tevet 1	24		25		26		27
28		29		30		31

33 AD January

	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	Tevet 29	21	Shevat 1	22		23		24
25		26		27		28		29		30		31

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	Shevat 30	20	Adar 1	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	Adar 29	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 11^th Jewish month

Adar is the 12^th month

Adar II is the 13^th month

Nisan is the 1^st month

Iyar is the 2^nd month

Sivan is the 3^rd month

[1] The three Passovers listed in John’s Gospel and the following two references are believed to add an additional year to Jesus' ministry. The ministry of Jesus is tied to John 5:1 ‘a feast of the Jews’ and Luke 6:1 standing grain at the time of the second –first Sabbath.

[2] John 6:4 The Jewish Feast of Passover was near.

[3] Bonnie Gaunt, Stonehenge . . . a closer look (Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, n.d.), p. 208.

also John Pratt, “Yet Another Eclipse for Herod,” Reprinted from The Planetarian*, vol. 19, no. 4, Dec. 1990, pp. 8-14. www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/herod/herod.html.

[5] 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.

[15] In the Life of Christ in Stereo—proposes that the second-first is the first Sabbath (of Passover) of the second year of Jesus ministry—the problem is the law forbids eating grain until after its is first offered in the temple on the day following the first Sabbath. The also goes against the bad grammar interpretation of the second after the first, pp. 229-230.

[17] This assumes Jewish accession year reckoning—counting the first incomplete year of office as the accession year. We know that Luke uses the Jewish method of telling time rather than the Roman method as John did—therefore it is probable that Luke used the Jewish method of counting the length of the reigns of kings.

[22] This must be at least the second Sabbath following Passover.

[24] Metzger, A textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. P 139.

[25] Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich and Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 177.

[26] Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 130.

[27] Note there were two systems of counting the weeks, one taught by the Sadducees and one taught by the Pharisees. The Sadducees taught that the weeks were counted from the day after the weekly Sabbath following Passover. The Pharisees taught that Passover was a Sabbath therefore the weeks were counted from the day following Passover. In Acts the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost by the Sadducean view.

[30] This is similar to the Churches teaching on Lent today.

[34] Deuteronomy 9:8-9, 1 Kings 19:8. The traditional site of Sinai is wrong see http://www.tckillian.com/BibleArchaeology.htm. The actual site is Har Karkom near the southern border of modern Israel.

[35] John 1:40-41, John the apostle probably finds his brother James, at this time, but it is not specifically stated. Andrew finds his brother first, implies John found his brother second.

[39] John 4:35. Jesus is calling the attention of the disciples to not neglect to announce the gospel because of the nationality of the hearers—in this case Samaritans (the ripe barley) rather than the grapes and olives still four months away, that often represent Israel. Israel had not yet been fully tended. Where as the Samaritans were already ready to be harvested.