This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
The Age of Jesus
Apr
26
2016
I was wondering about why Jesus died at age 33. So I looked it up on the internet.
The answers were not helpful.
They ran the range from “Because the Roman soldiers crucified Him” to “Because it was time for Him to fulfill His mission” to “to shed His blood to atone for our sins”.
All of those are answers and they are correct, but they are not correct answers. They don’t answer the question. Or rather, they answer the question wrongly.
Or maybe the question should be rephrased: Why was it at age 33 that Jesus died? or: What is special about the number 33 in the Bible?
That’s what I wanted to know. And I’m guessing those other people who asked the question earlier also wanted to know that aspect.
So I decided to come up with my own answer.
But before we get to that, let’s spend some time on the significant numbers in the Bible.
First, the number 3. It is the number of the Trinity. Things occur in threes throughout the Bible: Satan tempted Jesus 3 times, Peter denied Jesus 3 times, etc.
Second, the number 7. It is number of completeness. There are 7 days in a week, Daniel had a vision of 7 weeks, the Israelites marched around Jericho 7 times, etc.
Third, the number 10. It is the number of power. There are 10 kings in revelation, 10 plagues for the Egyptians, etc.
Fourth, the number 12. It is the number of God’s people. There are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples, 12 gates of Jerusalem, etc.
Fifth, the number 40. It is the number of a journey. Noah’s boat experienced rain for 40 days, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Jesus was in the desert for 40 days before the temptation, etc.
Sixth, the number 1,000. It is the number of, umm, a lot. Jesus will reign on earth for 1,000 years, etc.
There are other numbers in the Bible, but none I could think of that are used repeatedly like those I listed here. Astute readers will note my list has only six items, therefore it is incomplete.
Slight topical detour here to discuss the number 5. David picked out 5 stones from the brook and threw one of them at Goliath. Why 5 stones? That doesn’t fit with anything. He could have picked out 3 or 7. Even 6 would make more sense. But 5?
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. How does the number 33 fit in here?
You can make the number 33 by various methods. Maybe 3 times 12, minus 3. Or 3 times 10, plus 3. But I think it’s more likely to be 40 minus 7.
And I think that because of the meanings of the numbers.
If you consider Jesus’ life here on earth as a journey, that should be 40. But He has unfinished business here on earth, right? Since He is going to return, that means His journey is not complete. So we subtract 7, the number of completeness.
Why 33 years? Because 40 – 7. Because His journey on earth is not complete.
When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli
Luke 3:23
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:51 am and has been carefully placed in the Ponder category.
April 26th, 2016 at 10:22 am
I really like your theory here. Something I’d never pondered.
May 1st, 2024 at 6:19 am
[…] of all, a reminder that God has favorite numbers, like 3 and 7 and some […]
August 8th, 2024 at 11:51 am
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