If you ask most Christians today how long Yeshua's ministry was, you will no doubt be told 3 1/2 years. That's what I was told many years ago and took at face value. That's what I was taught in Church.
However, that's not what I believe today. History records that the early church fathers all believed his ministry was about one year. Eusebius, the court bishop of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, was the first to argue for the 3 1/2 year ministry and his chronology has continued through the centuries, although there are many voices that do not agree with his timeline.
I was first introduced to a dissenting view by Biblical historian, Michael Rood, the author of "The Chronological Gospels, The Acceptable Year of the Lord, The Life & Seventy Week Ministry of the Messiah". This book is the result of a 40-year study of the chronology of the gospels. Michael believes that Yeshua's ministry is the second layer of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy. He contends that from the day Yeshua was baptized until he baptized with the Holy Spirit was exactly seventy weeks. In my opinion, this book as a masterpiece and has opened my mind to so much understanding regarding Yeshua's ministry.
Through Michael Rood's book, I have been able to see with greater clarity the events surrounding Yeshua's life and teachings in their proper context as recorded in the four gospel accounts. Each gospel writer gives us a glimpse of the role of the Messiah from a different perspective. Matthew's gospel focuses on his role as our King, laying down the rules of the kingdom. Mark focuses on his role as a servant, caring for the needs of the people. Luke's gospel speaks of him as the son of man, and John's as the Son of God. Luke's gospel is chronological as it follows Yeshua week by week and often day by day throughout his ministry. John follows Yeshua as he goes up to the yearly feasts in Jerusalem. The one miracle recorded by all four gospels is the feeding of the 5,000, which allows us to synchronize the gospeel accounts of Yeshua's ministry with startling accuracy.
I want to focus primarily on John's gospel accounts as pertaining to the annual feasts, as this is where the controversy comes in regarding the duration of Yeshua's ministry. Not many days after his temptation in the wilderness, John 2:13 has him at Passover in Jerusalem. Chapter 5:1 has him again at Jerusalem for a "feast of the Jews", which chronologically would be Shavuot or Pentecost, where he heals a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. Next, we come to John 6:4, which tells us that Passover is nigh. This verse seems to be missing from many of the early manuscripts and thought by some scholars to have been added with the intent of lengthening Yeshua's ministry, although Eusebius did not include this particular verse in the defense of his 3 1/2 year chronology. Interesting!
If we look at the context, Yeshua is in the Galilee feeding 5,000 men, along with women and children, barley loaves and fish. If Passover is nigh, why is he not in Jerusalem for a feast he would be commanded to keep and why is this great multitude also not going up to the feast? Why are they in the Galilee eating leavened bread? Remember, this miracle was recorded in all four gospels. Luke's gospel is in chronological order and the next event following the feeding of the five thousand is the transfiguration eight days later according to Luke 9:28. This is believed to be on the Day of Atonement, in which Peter, James, and John encourage Yeshua to stay on that mountain where they offer to erect tabernacles for the upcoming feast, fearful that he will not be safe going up to Jerusalem. John's gospel confirms the timing in John 7:2 that Tabernacles is approaching. Interject John 6:59 where Yeshua is in a Capernaum synagogue teaching on the last great day, a theme of the Day of Trumpets. John 6:4 absolutely breaks up the chronology of the gospel records. In John 5:1, Yeshua is at Shavuot. Then in John 6:59 he is in Capernaum for Trumpets. In Luke 9:28, he is with his disciples on the mount of transfiguration in the Galilee on the Day of Atonement and in John 7:2, he is going up to Jerusalem for Tabernacles.
Also, as we have already established, Luke's gospel follows Yeshua's ministry often on a day by day basis. If John 6:4 is recording a Passover and we have seen that the next named feast in John 7:2 is Tabernacles, we have a serious break in chronology and months of silence by the gospel writers who record no events during this entire time.
We continue to follow Yeshua as he travels back to Jerusalem for Hanukkah, the feast of dedication. where he heals a man born blind, John 9:1-41, 10:22. He is fulfilling his role as the light of the world.
John's gospel ends with Yeshua returning to Jerusalem for Passover, where he will become our Passover through his death, burial and resurrection.
So we have it. According to the chronology of the gospel writers accounts, we see that Yeshua's ministry begins at Passover and a year later he is crucified at Passover. Fifty days following the Feast of Firstfruits, the Holy Spirit is poured out on the disciples at Shavuot. Again, from the day of his baptism to the day he baptizes with the Holy Spirit is 70 weeks to the day, the fulfillment of the second layer of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy.
One last thought for you to ponder. If Yeshua's ministry began at Passover, which is evident according to the gospels, and his ministry was 3 1/2 years in duration, that would take us to Tabernacles, which is impossible. He was crucified at Passover.
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