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Theministry of Jesus, in thecanonical gospels, begins withhis baptism near theRiver Jordan byJohn the Baptist, and ends inJerusalem inJudea, following theLast Supper with hisdisciples.[1] TheGospel of Luke states thatJesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of hisministry.[2][3] Achronology of Jesus typically sets the date of the start of his ministry at around AD 27–29 and the end in the range AD 30–36.[2][3][4][note 1]
Jesus' early Galilean ministry begins when after his baptism, he goesback to Galilee from histemptation in theJudaean Desert.[5] In this early period, hepreaches aroundGalilee and recruitshis first disciples who begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of theearly Church[1][6] as it is believed that theapostles dispersed fromJerusalem to found theapostolic sees. The major Galilean ministry which begins inMatthew 8 includes thecommissioning of the Twelve Apostles, and covers most of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.[7][8] The final Galilean ministry begins after thebeheading of John the Baptist as Jesus prepares to go to Jerusalem.[9][10]
In the later Judean ministry Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem through Judea.[11][12][13][14] As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the laterPerean ministry, about one third the way down from theSea of Galilee (actually a freshwater lake) along the River Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized.[15][16][17]
The final ministry in Jerusalem is sometimes called thePassion week and begins with Jesus'triumphal entry into Jerusalem.[18] The gospels provide more details about the final ministry than the other periods, devoting about one third of their text to thelast week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem.[19]
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The gospel accounts place the beginning of Jesus' ministry in the countryside ofRoman province Judaea, near the River Jordan.[1]
The gospels presentJohn the Baptist's ministry as the precursor to that of Jesus and thebaptism of Jesus as marking the beginning of Jesus' ministry, after which Jesus travels, preaches and performsmiracles.[1][20][21] Jesus's baptism is generally considered the beginning and theLast Supper with his disciples in Jerusalem as the end of his ministry.[1][20] However, some authors also consider the period between theResurrection and theAscension part of the ministry of Jesus.[22]
Luke3:23 states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.[2][3] There have been different approaches to estimating the date of the start of the ministry of Jesus.[2][23][24][25] One approach, based on combining information from theGospel of Luke with historical data about EmperorTiberius yields a date around 28–29 AD/CE, while a second independent approach based on statements in theGospel of John along with historical information fromJosephus about the Temple in Jerusalem leads to a date around AD 27–29.[3][23][24][26][27][note 1]
In the New Testament, the date of the Last Supper is very close before the date of thecrucifixion of Jesus (hence its name). Scholarly estimates for the date of the crucifixion generally fall in the range AD 30–36.[29][30]
The threeSynoptic Gospels refer to just onepassover, specifically the Passover at the end of Jesus's ministry when he is crucified (with the exception of Luke's Gospel, which narrates a visit of the Holy Family for Passover when Jesus is twelve years old). There are three references to Passovers in John's Gospel: 2:13, 6:4, and 12:1. Some contend that theGospel of John refers to only two actual Passovers, one at the beginning of Jesus's ministry and the second at the end of Jesus's ministry, and that the third reference to Passover is only a forecasting of the second Passover in the Gospel of John. But much scholarship recognizes that a lot of time passes between 6:4, "the Passover . . . was at hand," and 12:1, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany..," especially at the beginning of Chapter 7 which even includes another feast (Booths/Tabernacles), and then again at 10:22 another season passes as well as the Feast of Dedication.
This third reference to a passover in the Gospel of John is why many suggest that Jesus's ministry was a period of about three years. Scholars that support a three-year ministry, such asKöstenberger state that the Gospel of John simply provides a more detailed account.[20][21][31]
During the ministry of Jesus, thetetrarch ruling overGalilee andPerea in this period wasHerod Antipas, who obtained the position upon the division of the territories following the death ofHerod the Great in 4 BC.[32]
The gospels present John the Baptist's ministry as the precursor to that of Jesus and the Baptism of Jesus as marking the beginning of Jesus' ministry.[1][20][21]
In his sermon inActs 10:37–38, delivered in the house ofCornelius the centurion,Apostle Peter gives an overview of the ministry of Jesus, and refers to what had happened "throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached" and that Jesus whom "God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power" had gone about "doing good".[33]
John 1:28 specifies the location where John was baptizing as "Bethany beyond the Jordan".[34][35] This is not the villageBethany just east of Jerusalem, but the town ofBethabara inPerea.[35] Perea is the province east of the Jordan, across the southern part ofSamaria, and although the New Testament does not mention Perea by name,John 3:23 implicitly refers to it again when it states that John was baptising inEnon near Salim, "because there was muchwater there".[34][35] First-century historianFlavius Josephus also wrote in theAntiquities of the Jews (18 5.2) that John the Baptist was imprisoned and then killed inMachaerus on the border of Perea.[36][37]
Luke 3:23 andLuke 4:1 indicate possible activities of Jesus near the Jordan River around the time of his baptism, as does the initial encounter with the disciples of John the Baptist inJohn 1:35–37, where "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus".[38][39][40] Assuming that there were two incidences ofCleansing of the Temple, which was located in Jerusalem, a possible reference to an early Judean ministry may beJohn 2:13–25.[41][42][43]
TheEarly Galilean ministry begins when, according to Matthew, Jesus goes back to Galilee from theJudaean Desert, after rebuffing thetemptation of Satan.[5] In this early period, Jesus preaches around Galilee and, inMatthew 4:18–20,his first disciples encounter him, begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early Church.[1][6]
The Gospel of John includes theWedding at Cana as the firstmiracle of Jesus taking place in this early period of ministry, with his return to Galilee.[44][45] A few villages in Galilee (e.g.Kafr Kanna) have been suggested as the location ofCana.[46][47]
Thereturn of Jesus to Galilee follows the arrest ofJohn the Baptist.[48] The early teachings of Jesus result in hisrejection at his hometown when inLuke 4:16–30 Jesus says in a Synagogue, "No prophet is acceptable in his own country", and the people reject him.
In this early period, Jesus' reputation begins to spread throughout Galilee. InMark 1:21–28 andLuke 4:31–37, Jesus goes toCapernaum, where people are "astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority", in theExorcism at the Synagogue in Capernaum episode, which is followed byhealing the mother of Peter's wife.[49][50]
Luke 5:1–11 includes the firstMiraculous draught of fishes episode in which Jesus tellsPeter, "now on you will catch men". Peter leaves his net and, along with him,James andJohn, the sons of Zebedee, follows Jesus as disciples thereafter.[51][52][53]
This period includes theSermon on the Mount, one of the major discourses of Jesus in Matthew, and theSermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke.[6][54] TheSermon on the Mount, which covers chapters5,6 and7 of the Gospel of Matthew, is the first of theFive Discourses of Matthew and is the longest piece of teaching from Jesus in theNew Testament.[54] It encapsulates many of the moral teachings of Jesus and includes theBeatitudes and the widely recitedLord's Prayer.[54][55]
TheBeatitudes are expressed as eight blessings in theSermon on the Mount in Matthew, and four similar blessings appear in theSermon on the Plain in Luke, where they are followed by four woes that mirror the blessings.[56] The Beatitudes present the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus onmercy, spirituality and compassion.[56][57]
TheMajor Galilean ministry, also called theGreat Galilean ministry, begins inMatthew 8, after theSermon on the Mount and refers to activities up to thedeath of John the Baptist.[7][8]
The beginnings of this period includeThe Centurion's Servant (Matthew 8:5–13) andCalming the storm (Matthew 8:23–27), both dealing with the theme of faith and fear. When the Centurion shows faith in Jesus by requesting a "healing at a distance", Jesus commends him for his exceptional faith.[58] On the other hand, when his own disciples show fear of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus instructs them to have more faith, after he orders the storm to stop.[59][60]
In this period, Jesus is still gathering thetwelve apostles, and theCalling of Matthew takes place inMatthew 9:9.[61] The conflicts and criticism between Jesus and thePharisees continue, e.g. they criticize Jesus for associating with "publicans and sinners", whereby Jesus responds: "It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."[62]
Commissioning the twelve Apostles relates the initial selection of thetwelve Apostles among the disciples of Jesus.[63][64] Jesus goes out to a mountainside to pray, and after spending the night praying to God, in the morning he calls his disciples and chooses twelve of them.[65]
In theMission Discourse, Jesus instructs thetwelve apostles who are named inMatthew 10:2–3 to carry no belongings as they travel from city to city and preach.[7][8] Separately,Luke 10:1–24 relates theSeventy Disciples, where Jesus appoints a larger number of disciples and sends them out in pairs with theMissionary's Mandate to go into villages before Jesus' arrival there.[66]
InMatthew 11:2–6 twomessengers from John the Baptist arrive to ask Jesus if he is the expected Messiah, or "shall we wait for another?"[67] Jesus replies, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk".[68] Following this, Jesus begins to speak to the crowds about the Baptist.[69]
This period is rich in parables and teachings and includes theParabolic discourse, which provides many of the parables for theKingdom of Heaven, beginning inMatthew 13:1.[70][71] These include the parables ofThe Sower,The Tares,The Mustard Seed andThe Leaven, addressed to the public at large, as well asThe Hidden Treasure,The Pearl andDrawing in the Net.[71]
At the end of the Major Galilean ministry, Jesus returns to his hometown, Nazareth. Hiswisdom is recognised there, questioned, and rejected.[72]
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TheFinal Galilean ministry begins after thedeath of John the Baptist, and includes theFeeding the 5000 andWalking on water episodes, both inMatthew 14.[9][10] After hearing of the Baptist's death, Jesus withdraws by boat privately to a solitary place nearBethsaida, where he addresses the crowds who had followed him on foot from the towns, and feeds them all with "five loaves and two fish" supplied by a boy.[73]
Following this, the gospels present theWalking on water episode inMatthew 14:22–23,Mark 6:45–52 andJohn 6:16–21 as an important step in developing the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, at this stage of his ministry.[74] The episode emphasizes the importance of faith by stating that, when he attempted to walk on water,Peter began to sink when he lost faith and became afraid. At the end of the episode, the disciples increase their faith in Jesus, and, in Matthew 14:33, they say, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God".[75]
Major teachings in this period include theDiscourse on Defilement inMatthew 15:1–20 andMark 7:1–23 where, in response to a complaint from the Pharisees, Jesus states: "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'".[76]
Following this episode, Jesus withdraws into the "parts ofTyre andSidon" near theMediterranean Sea, where theCanaanite woman's daughter episode takes place inMatthew 15:21–28 andMark 7:24–30.[77] This episode is an example of how Jesus emphasizes the value of faith, telling the woman: "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."[77] The importance of faith is also emphasized in theCleansing ten lepers episode inLuke 17:11–19.[78][79]
In the Gospel of Mark, after passing throughSidon, Jesus enters the region of theDecapolis, a group of ten cities south-east of Galilee, where theHealing the deaf mute miracle is reported inMark 7:31–37. After the healing, the disciples say, "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." The episode is the last in a series of narrated miracles which builds up to Peter's proclamation of Jesus as Christ inMark 8:29.[80]
In this period, Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem by going aroundSamaria, throughPerea and on through Judea to Jerusalem. At the beginning of this period,Jesus predicts his death for the first time, and this prediction then builds up to the other two episodes, the final prediction being just before Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, the week ofhis crucifixion.[81][82] InMatthew 16:21–28 andMark 8:31–33, Jesus teaches his disciples that "the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again."[83]
Later in this period, at about the middle of each of the threeSynoptic Gospels, two related episodes mark a turning point in the ministry of Jesus: theConfession of Peter and theTransfiguration of Jesus.[11][12][13][14] These episodes begin inCaesarea Philippi, just north of theSea of Galilee, at the beginning of the final journey toJerusalem which ends in thePassion andResurrection of Jesus.[84] These episodes mark the beginnings of the gradual disclosure of the identity of Jesus as theMessiah to his disciples; and his prediction of his own suffering and death.[11][12][84][85][86]
Peter's Confession begins as a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples inMatthew 16:13,Mark 8:27 andLuke 9:18. Jesus asks his disciples:But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answers him:You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.[84][87][88] InMatthew 16:17, Jesus blesses Peter for his answer, and states: "flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven." In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titlesChrist andSon of God, which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that hisFather in Heaven had revealed it to Peter.[89] In this assertion, by endorsing both titles as divine revelation, Jesus unequivocally declares himself to be both Christ and the Son of God.[89][90]
In the Gospel of Matthew, following this episode, Jesus also selects Peter as the leader of the Apostles, and states that "upon this rock, I will build my church".[32]InMatthew 16:18 Jesus then continues:"That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church". The word "church" (ekklesia in Greek) as used here, appears in the Gospels only once more, inMatthew 18:17, and refers to the community of believers at the time.[91]
Following theproclamation by Peter, the account of theTransfiguration of Jesus is the next major event and appears inMatthew 17:1–9,Mark 9:2–8 andLuke 9:28–36.[12][85][86] Jesus takesPeter and two other apostles with him and goes up to a mountain, which is not named. Once on the mountain,Matthew 17:2 states that Jesus "was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light." At that point, the prophetsElijah andMoses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them.[85] Luke is specific in describing Jesus in a state of glory, withLuke 9:32 referring to "they saw his glory".[92] A bright cloud appears around them, and a voice from the cloud states: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him".[85]
The Transfiguration not only supports the identity of Jesus as theSon of God, (as in hisBaptism), but the statement "listen to him" identifies him as the messenger and mouth-piece of God.[93] The significance is enhanced by the presence of Elijah and Moses, for it indicates to the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God, and, instead of Elijah or Moses, he should be listened to, by virtue of his filial relationship with God.[93]2 Peter 1:16–18 echoes the same message: at the Transfiguration, God assigns to Jesus a special "honor and glory" and it is the turning point at which God exalts Jesus above all other powers in creation.[94]
Many of the episodes in the Later Judean ministry are from the Gospel of Luke but, in general, these sequence of episodes in Luke do not provide enough geographical information to determine Perea, though scholars generally assume that the route Jesus followed from Galilee to Jerusalem passed throughPerea.[17] However, the Gospel of John does state that he returned to the area where he was baptized, andJohn 10:40–42 states that "many people believed in him beyond the Jordan", saying "all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true".[15][16][17] The area where Jesus was baptised is inferred as the vicinity of the Perea area, given the activities of the Baptist inBethabara andÆnon in JohnJohn 1:28 andJohn 3:23.[34][35]
This period of ministry includes theDiscourse on the Church, in which Jesus anticipates a future community of followers and explains the role of his apostles in leading it.[70][95] It includes the parables ofThe Lost Sheep andThe Unforgiving Servant inMatthew 18, which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it.[95][96]
Addressing his apostles inMatthew 18:18, Jesus states: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is personal humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.[95][96]
At the end of this period, the Gospel of John includes theRaising of Lazarus episode inJohn 11:1–46, in which Jesus bringsLazarus of Bethany back to life four days after his burial.[18] In the Gospel of John, the raising of Lazarus is the climax of the "seven signs" which gradually confirm the identity of Jesus as theSon of God and the expected Messiah.[97] It is also apivotal episode which starts the chain of events that leads to the crowds seeking Jesus on hisTriumphal entry into Jerusalem—leading to the decision ofCaiaphas and theSanhedrin to plan to kill Jesus (Crucifixion of Jesus).[98]
The final ministry in Jerusalem is traditionally called thePassion and begins with Jesus'triumphal entry into Jerusalem early in the week that includes theLast Supper and is liturgically marked asHoly Week.[18][99][100][101][102][103] The gospels pay special attention to the account of the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem, and the narrative amounts to about one third of the text of the four gospels, showing its theological significance in Christian thought in theEarly Church.[19][104]
Before arriving in Jerusalem, inJohn 12:9–11, afterraising Lazarus from the dead, crowds gather around Jesus and believe in him, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as he descends from theMount of Olives towards Jerusalem inMatthew 21:1–11,Mark 11:1–11,Luke 19:28–44 andJohn 12:12–19.[99][100][101][105] InLuke 19:41–44 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it, foretelling the suffering that awaits the city.[99][101][106]
In the three Synoptic Gospels, entry into Jerusalem is followed by theCleansing of the Temple episode, in which Jesus expels the money changers from the Temple, accusing them of turning the Temple to a den of thieves through their commercial activities. This is the only account of Jesus using physical force in any of the Gospels.[43][107][108] The synoptics include a number of well knownparables and sermons such as theWidow's mite and theSecond Coming Prophecy during the week that follows.[99][100]
In that week, the synoptics also narrate conflicts between Jesus and the elders of the Jews, in episodes such as theAuthority of Jesus Questioned and theWoes of the Pharisees, in which Jesus criticizes their hypocrisy.[99][100]Judas Iscariot, one of thetwelve apostles, approaches the Jewish elders and performs the "Bargain of Judas" in which he accepts to betray Jesus and hand him over to the elders.[109][110][111] Matthew specifies the price asthirty silver coins.[110]
InMatthew 24,Mark 13 andLuke 21, Jesus provides aDiscourse on the End Times, which is also called theOlivet Discourse because it was given on theMount of Olives.[70] The discourse is mostly about judgment and the expected conduct of the followers of Jesus, and the need for vigilance by the followers in view of thecoming judgment.[112] The discourse is generally viewed as referring both to the coming destruction of theTemple in Jerusalem, as well as the End Times andSecond Coming of Christ, but the many scholarly opinions about which verses refer to which event remain divided.[96][112]
A key episode in the final part of the ministry of Jesus is theLast Supper, which includes theInstitution of the Eucharist. InMatthew 26:26–29,Mark 14:22–25,Luke 22:19–20 during the last supper, Jesus takes bread, breaks it and gives it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body which is given for you". He also gives them "the cup" to drink, saying this is his blood. While it may have been fermented, none of the biblical accounts refer to it as wine, but rather as "the fruit of the vine" or "the cup".In1 Corinthians 11:23–26,Paul the Apostle refers to the Last Supper.[113][114][115][116]John 14–17 concludes the Last Supper with a long, three chapter sermon known as theFarewell Discourse which prepares the disciples for thedeparture of Jesus.[117][118]
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