Daily Bread 2011 - Luke 3
Daily Bread 2011 – Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 Luke 3
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph
What Does This Mean?
We see only in Matthew and Luke’s gospels a genealogy, which follows in Luke’s gospel the verses above. In Matthew’s gospel it is key to present Jesus as King, and therefore is presented with king’s pedigree. Whereas Luke presents Jesus as the son of Man so we see eventually the genealogy brings him back to Adam and Eve. Matthew focuses more on Jesus being linked to Abraham and his legal descent through Joseph, whereas Luke focuses more on Jesus’ blood ties with Mary and also the fact that He was born of a virgin, which is why Luke says, “He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.” This gives clear credence to the Virgin Birth.
Either way it is good to see Jesus was both the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Son of Man, our Savior! He is both Savior and Lord! The age of 30 is important as the book of Numbers tells us that this was the age a priest begin His ministry. It was also the age that David began his kingship. So again we see the linkage between both (priest-mediator between God and man) and Lord (ruler of all).
What Does This Mean For Us?
In an age where life expectancy was not nearly as long as today, as we see below. According to this Life Table Approximating Roman Population, once a person reached the age of 30 in the ancient Roman empire, their average life expectancy was 59. If they reached 40, their average life expectancy was 63. If they made it to 60, the life expectancy was 70. And so on. At any given time, over 17% of the population was 50 or older. Almost 5% of the population was 65 or older.This is important as it shows many of Jesus’ eyewitnesses to the resurrection could have lived 30-40 years more if they didn’t face martyrdom as many did.
But the bottom line is Jesus waited until the right time to begin His ministry. Sometimes we get anxious about what we will accomplish and by when, but clearly even in the Son of Man, it was God’s timing not his!
Jesus, we thank you that you are both the Son of God and the Son of Man, and that you are both our priest and our Lord. Help us to be mediators of the new covenant you have established for all people through faith, and also use our authority as co-rulers with you through the power of Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph
What Does This Mean?
We see only in Matthew and Luke’s gospels a genealogy, which follows in Luke’s gospel the verses above. In Matthew’s gospel it is key to present Jesus as King, and therefore is presented with king’s pedigree. Whereas Luke presents Jesus as the son of Man so we see eventually the genealogy brings him back to Adam and Eve. Matthew focuses more on Jesus being linked to Abraham and his legal descent through Joseph, whereas Luke focuses more on Jesus’ blood ties with Mary and also the fact that He was born of a virgin, which is why Luke says, “He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.” This gives clear credence to the Virgin Birth.
Either way it is good to see Jesus was both the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Son of Man, our Savior! He is both Savior and Lord! The age of 30 is important as the book of Numbers tells us that this was the age a priest begin His ministry. It was also the age that David began his kingship. So again we see the linkage between both (priest-mediator between God and man) and Lord (ruler of all).
What Does This Mean For Us?
In an age where life expectancy was not nearly as long as today, as we see below. According to this Life Table Approximating Roman Population, once a person reached the age of 30 in the ancient Roman empire, their average life expectancy was 59. If they reached 40, their average life expectancy was 63. If they made it to 60, the life expectancy was 70. And so on. At any given time, over 17% of the population was 50 or older. Almost 5% of the population was 65 or older.This is important as it shows many of Jesus’ eyewitnesses to the resurrection could have lived 30-40 years more if they didn’t face martyrdom as many did.
But the bottom line is Jesus waited until the right time to begin His ministry. Sometimes we get anxious about what we will accomplish and by when, but clearly even in the Son of Man, it was God’s timing not his!
Jesus, we thank you that you are both the Son of God and the Son of Man, and that you are both our priest and our Lord. Help us to be mediators of the new covenant you have established for all people through faith, and also use our authority as co-rulers with you through the power of Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
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