Jesus and 33
Have you ever wondered why Jesus started His ministry at age 30? Why it only lasted 3 years? Why not sooner or later? Was it just random or prophecy? Is it possible there was a countdown hidden in Scripture? There are actually many prophecies that point to the exact age and timing of Jesus. He was neither early nor late, He arrived precisely when He meant to.
Daniel 9
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
These weeks of years are 490 prophetic years. Gabriel told Daniel that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem to the Messiah would be seven weeks and 62 weeks, or 69 weeks (489 years). In 445 BC King Xerxes of Persia issued the decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. That is the exact window of Jesus’ ministry!
It gets better, the next verse tells us after 62 weeks the Messiah would be cut off, but not for himself. The Hebrew word for cut off is kârath, which is used in the sacrificial covenant sense to kill. This happens in the final week between the 69th and 70th week. Adjusting for the lunar calendar this puts the year in the early 30s AD.
The stars even agree, as on April 3rd, 33AD, at 3pm (the 9th hour), there was a lunar eclipse in the constellation Ares, representing the sacrificial lamb who was slain for us! Hallelujah!
Patterns
God does things in patterns and accomplishes His perfect work according to His divine timing. Joseph was 30 years old when he came out of prison and became the second most powerful man in the land.
David was 30 when he was crowned king and reigned 33 years in Jersusalem. According to Numbers, no priest could serve in the temple until they were 30 years old. Ezekiel didn’t start receiving visions until he was 30. Jesus began His ministry at 30 years old.
So why did His ministry only last 3 years? Well 3 is sacred in Scripture. It represents the Trinity, completeness, and resurrection. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days. There is even a hidden law about trees in Leviticus 19 that points to Christ.
When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.
The tree of life, Jesus, performed His ministry for 3 years and gave His life for a Holy offering!
There was also a sacred understanding in Jewish thought that 33 represents the fullness of strength, the prime of life. A man was considered to reach his full maturity from the age of 30-33, physically, emotionally and spiritually. So when Jesus was presented as the perfect lamb offering, He was in the fullness of His life. Perfect.
In Exodus Moses gave the law about the passover lamb, how it must be a lamb without blemish. It had to be pure, strong and without disease. Jesus met that requirement perfectly. Pilate even examined Jesus and confirmed that he found no fault in Him. He was crucified and slain on the Passover.
We even measure time now from His birth until now! How incredible that our King who never sat on a throne, never raised an army and never wrote down anything, all in the span of 33 years, completely turned the world upside down!
Just like with anything good, the devil does his best to corrupt. There is a reason the number 33 is so prevalent in the occult. There are 33 degrees of freemasonry (that they tell us). There are many examples of this, but just be wary that the number 33 is used in the occult and secret societies. It has been twisted and corrupted by evil, but God designed it for Good.
33 going forward
As my final days of being 33 come to an end, I definitely agree that this is a great age. It makes sense why it is considered the prime of life. It’s so beautiful that God in His infinite mercy and timing sent His Son to complete and fulfill His mission at that perfect and sacred age.
If Jesus lived one more year, or began His ministry one year sooner, prophecy wouldn’t have been fulfilled. From the moment of His birth to His death, every second was accounted for and confirmed through prophecy, Scripture and the stars!
If anyone else has examples of 30 or 33 in Scripture, please share! Shalom!
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:15-16
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6