The year 2026 marks the 2,000ᵗʰ anniversary of The Beginning of The Ministry of Jesus, according to the evidence we can find in the scriptures.
We know that John The Baptist appeared before Jesus. Luke 3:1 tells us that His Ministry began in the 15ᵗʰ year of the Roman Emperor Tiberias. From history we learn that Tiberias began his reign in the year 10AD, so John began 15 years later, in 25 AD.
We know from the Book of John that Jesus cleared the Temple for the first time at the beginning of His ministry, just after He turned water to wine (John 2:11-16). In the course of His discussion with the Jews, they said that it had taken 46 years to build the Temple. From the history of Josephus we learn that Herod began building the Temple in 20BC. Moving forward 46 years (and remembering that there is no year zero) brings us to 27 AD.
These two scriptures point to 26 AD as the beginning of Christ’s Ministry, but the Prophet Daniel also established 26 AD as the beginning of Christ’s Ministry. In the famous 70 7’s prophecy, Daniel said that the Anointed One would come 69 7’s, or 483 years, after the decree to restore Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The decree was given to Ezra, who was sent to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:8 – 26), or 458 BC. Moving forward 483 years (and again remembering that there is no year zero) brings us to 26 AD.
A fourth scripture which correlates the beginning of Christ’s Ministry in 26 AD is the statement at Luke 3:23 that Jesus was about 30 years old when His Ministry began. This would place Christ’s birth in 5 BC (remembering again that there is no year zero). We know from Josephus that King Herod, who tried to kill Jesus, died in the year of a lunar eclipse on Passover. Astronomy tells us that this eclipse occurred in 5 BC, so Jesus could not have been born after 5 BC and could not, therefore, have begun His ministry later than thirty years afterward in 26 AD.
Astronomy provides further support to the birth of Jesus in 5 BC by helping to date the Star of Bethlehem. The Wise Men saw the star and traveled to Jerusalem to find the one, Jesus, born King of the Jews. (Matthew 2:1,2). Scripture does not date the appearance of the star, but another group of skywatchers in China recorded a nova, or new star, which appeared about the time of Passover in the spring of 5 BC. Using the Chinese coordinates and the location of the star directly overhead in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9), we can locate the remains of the Star of Bethlehem, a nova, at a black hole known as X-1 Cygnus and date it to 5 BC, with Christ’s ministry beginning 30 years later in 26 AD.
In addition to establishing 26 AD as the beginning of Christ’s Ministry, it may be possible to pinpoint the time of year Jesus was baptized and went into the desert for 40 days of testing (Luke 4:1,2). The Hebrew religious calendar contains a 40 day period for testing, repentance, and moving closer to God, known as Teshuvah, which Jesus would have observed as a faithful Jew. Teshuvah begins on the first day of the sixth Jewish month, Elul, and ends on the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month, Tishri. If Jesus had entered the desert during Teshuvah, He would have gone in August 30, 26 AD and finished His time on the Day of Atonement, October 8, 26 AD. His anointing, the event which fulfilled Daniel’s 70 7’s prophecy (Daniel 9:25), would have taken place just prior to August 30, 26 AD, during the month of August.
Shortly after Jesus left the desert, He announced His anointing at Nazareth (Luke 4:16). Echoing the proclamation of liberty made on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 25:9,10), Jesus proclaimed good news, liberty, healing, release, and the Year of The Lord’s Favor (Luke 4:18,19).
Now, 2000 years later, we face the same tests as Jesus faced in the desert. Will we trust God to know that we live by “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)? Will we “worship the Lord, your God and serve Him only” (Luke 4:8)? Will we not live in presumption but be obedient and “not put the Lord, your God to the test” (Luke 4:12)?
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Let us celebrate the 2000ᵗʰ anniversary of Christ’s Ministry by imitating Him, as He overcame the testing in the desert, in our lives:
1. Pass the test (Luke 4:4–13)
2. Humility, not pride (Deuteronomy 8:1–5). Man does not live on bread alone.
• God wants us to be blessed if we do it His way
• He will humble and test us to see what is in our heart
• He humbles us to teach us to live by His word
• He provides our needs
• He disciplines us a beloved child
3. Serve God, not Self (Deuteronomy 6:4–15) Worship The Lord Your God and Serve Him only
• Love The Lord with all your heart
• Put His commands in your heart
• Teach God’s commands to your children
• Remember Him in your prosperity
• Serve only God
• Serving other Gods can lead to destruction
4. Obey God, not Self (Deuteronomy 6:16–24) Do not put The Lord Your God to the test
• Fear God and follow the Commandments
• Do right so it will go well with you
• Teach your children to do right
• Follow God to prosper and be kept alive
Then let us imitate Him in Ministry by receiving the anointing of The Holy Spirit like Jesus did and proclaiming the Good News of the Year of The Lord’s favor:
1. Proclaim the year of The Lord’s Favor (Luke 4:18,19)
• Preach good news
• Freedom
• Recovery
• Release
2. Be filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:18,19)
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. – Luke 4:18,19
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman who is active in ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is the founder of American Wake Up Call.
