Smoky Mountain Bible Institute
(Est. 2009) Lesson #78
By the estimation
of Paul Maier and Andrew Steinmann, two of our best biblical history scholars,
Jesus was born sometime between late 5 and early 2 BC. Maier calls this the “un-datable
date” in his book “In the Fullness of Time”, where he examines, in-depth, the
first Christmas and Easter, as well as the early Church.
Before we start
discussing the life of Christ, let’s look at some of the other things going on
in the world during the first 50 years AD (Anno Domini / the Year of our Lord).
Cymbeline, King of Catuvellauni (a tribal region in southeast Britain) was
recognized by Rome as the King of Britain around 5 AD. In the same year, Ovid
finished “Metamorphoses”, a poetic collection of some 250 myths. The first
definite reference to diamonds appears in records from 16 AD, and the Han
Dynasty began in China around 22 AD. London was founded in 43 AD, and after
conquering Gaul (modern-day France & Germany), the Romans learned how to
use soap. (Thank goodness for that; soldiers can get really smelly!)
We finished up
last month with Jesus and his family returning to Nazareth in mid to late 1 BC.
Of course, Matthew & Luke are our primary sources for the early life of Christ,
but after he gets to Nazareth we only get 12 more verses regarding his youth; “The
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon
him.” (Luke 2:40.) Verses 41-51 are the account of Jesus being
accidently left by his family at the temple for three days, and Luke closes by
saying in verse 52, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and
man.” We might like to know more about the early life of Christ, but
there are no other reliable sources. The Koran repeats a second-century gnostic
myth from the gospel of Thomas about Jesus turning clay pigeons into real birds,
but there is no credible source for it, so it remains a myth.
Besides scripture,
there are no other written sources that even mention Nazareth until around 200
AD. Some claim it did not exist, however, archeology and most scholars say that
in the first century, Nazareth was home to thousands of people, including many
“tecknons” (Greek for builder, contractor, carpenter, stone mason, etc.), and
was a place of relative peace and prosperity. Jesus probubly spent most of the
first 30 years of his life there. We can even speculate that he would have been
following the 4th commandment by being a good son.
All four gospels
record the start of Jesus’ ministry at his baptism, which according to the best
estimates, was around the summer of 29 AD. This was immediately followed by
Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. In the fall of that year, Jesus
turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and called the first of his apostles.
On April 6th of 30 AD, Jesus celebrated his first Passover with his
disciples in Jerusalem. Towards the end of that year, John the Baptizer was
arrested, and Jesus traveled throughout Samaria. In the fall of 31 AD Jesus
celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, and in the winter of 31/32 AD,
he traveled throughout Galilee. John the Baptizer was executed in the winter of
32. Jesus was busy that year finishing up his time in Galilee, feeding the 5000
& 4000, walking on water, healing, and casting out demons in places like
Tyre, Sidon, the Decapolis, Caesarea Philippi, Samaria, Juda, and Perea. He was
then in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication in
32 AD.
This is, of course,
a very rough sketch of Jesus’ three-and-one-half-year ministry, which included
some 36 recorded miracles and over 350 fulfilled prophecies, and which came to
a close at passion week. March 29th 33 AD was Jesus’ triumphal entry
(what most Christians celebrate as Palm Sunday), April 2nd was the
Last Supper, April 3rd, Good Friday, and April 5th, the
first Easter. While the date of Jesus’ birth is known only within a 3 to 4-year
window, thanks to the detailed accounts of Good Friday and holy week, along
with evidence from external sources, archeology, history, and astronomy, they
are among the most certain of dates we have in the life of Christ. Of course,
we must acknowledge that events 2000 years past cannot be known with 100% certainty,
but all known evidence supports this timeline and none contradicts it.
We will kick things off at Easter
next month.
Till then in Christ,
Pastor Portier
