#207 About Thirty Years

Last week I turned 30. I wasn't originally planning on commenting on that, but then I started thinking about my age in connection with Jesus. Luke 3:23 says, "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry." (You might notice that this is a rough description; I'm pretty sure our best estimates of the dates of Christmas and Easter as well as our understanding of the length of Jesus' ministry would place Him at 31 or 32 when His ministry starts.) Obviously, to me thirty years is a long time. It's my whole life, after all! But I think that even if I was 60 or 90, thirty years would still seem pretty long to me. Jesus waited thirty years to begin His public ministry. Think about that. With the exception of an early childhood escape to Egypt, Jesus lived an ordinary human life for a long time. Certainly this wasn't a whole life, but Jesus was a decent ways into adulthood before He really began to reveal His special identity as God's Son. For thirty years Jesus committed to identifying with us, experiencing life in this fallen world, going through our ordinary experiences of learning and growing and holding a job. For thirty years Jesus looked to all the world around Him like He was just a regular guy. I think this long period of preparation helps us trust Jesus. He didn't just show up one day as an outsider and start telling us what we needed to change. He truly became one of us. He spent years sharing our perspective and facing our struggles as well as our joys. He showed us love not only by coming to save us but also by walking alongside us. I think that makes Jesus even more wonderful.

Grace and peace,

BMH