How many years did Jesus live on this earth, 33 years or 33½ years, and how do we calculate, with biblical references? ~ Joe David
At the time of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, He had been incarnate or in human flesh for “about thirty years” (Luke 3:21-23). The “about” associated with the “30 years” makes it impossible to ascertain definitively the exact age of our Lord at the time He was baptized and afterward began His public ministry. In addition, students of the Bible over the centuries have ventured to assign the ministry of the Lord to one year, two years, three years or three and a half years.
First, there is insufficient biblical evidence to determine for sure the exact length of the earthly, public ministry of Jesus Christ, though “about” three or three and a half years seems more probable than lesser estimates. Second, the exact length of the ministry of our Lord is immaterial—it does not matter. The length of the ministry of Jesus, which culminated in His vicarious, sacrificial death upon Calvary’s cross, does not alter the significance of what He accomplished for humanity. He purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). He built the church that He promised to build (Matthew 16:18), being the “foundation” (1 Corinthians. 3:11) and “chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6). It is true that the birthday of the Lord’s church occurred 10 days after Christ’s Ascension (Acts 1:3). These events took place nearly 2,000 years ago, and the importance of Christ’s ministry, death, resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:17) and Ascension plus the establishment of the Lord’s church far outweigh the inconsequential details of how many months our Lord lived in the last year of His life.
