A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: Before, to the end

of the first year of His Ministry

By

Oupa Steven Motshweneng

Assignment 1

BIB1123 The Words and Works of Jesus Christ

Bachelor of Theology

South African Theological Seminary

13 April 2015

Facilitator: Izaak Connoway

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 A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: From the second
year of His Ministry to the final week of His Life

Table of Contents

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................- 1 -
1. Before the first year...................................................................................................................- 1 -
2. The first year..............................................................................................................................- 2 -
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................- 3 -
Works Cited........................................................................................................................................- 4 -

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 A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: From the second
year of His Ministry to the final week of His Life

Introduction

It is very important that Christians know and understand what Jesus Christ said and
did, for Christianity; our faith is centred on Christ himself. Moreover, it is valuable to
understand these events in Christ’s life in their chronological order. In this
assignment, a chronological overview of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ will be
presented, focusing mainly on the periods before and during the first year of his
ministry. Indicating biblical materials covering each period and identifying the
beginning and ending of a period, characteristics of each period with specific
examples will also be discussed.

1. Before the first year

The beginning of the period before Jesus’ first year of ministry is marked by his birth,
it then stretches throughout and end as he begin his public ministry. This period is
characterized by his birth, childhood and preparation for ministry, however, it focuses
more on his preparation for ministry than it does on his birth and childhood.

When his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, she was found to be with child of
the Holy Spirit before they got married (Matt. 1:18, KJV) in due time she then gave
birth to a child and named him Jesus as instructed by the angel. This is estimated to
have taken place between 4 and 7 B.C (Smith 2012:15). There only specific event
recorded of Jesus’ childhood it is at the age of twelve, where he was lost and found
at the temple after three days, discussing scriptures with experts (Luk. 2:43-46).
From there we only learn that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour
with God and man” (v. 52, KJV).

The second part of this period is Jesus’ preparation for ministry, the ministry of John
the Baptist precedes Jesus’ ministry, he actually prepared the way for Jesus (Luk.

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 A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: From the second
year of His Ministry to the final week of His Life

1:17, GNB). Moreover, it is John the Baptist who baptised Jesus (Matt. 3:14-17) and
this is one of the most significant events in Jesus’ preparation for ministry and it is at
this particular event that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus to empower him for
ministry (Act. 10:38, ESV) and God the father approved him as he declared: “This is
my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him." (Matt. 3:17, CEV).

As part of his preparation for ministry, Jesus was “led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matt. 4:1, KJV). He overcame the devil’s three
temptations, his passed the test and now he was ready for his mission. The period
before the first year of Jesus ministry ends as his first year of public ministry officially
starts. Even though Jesus performed a miracle at the wedding of Cana prior to him
going up to Jerusalem for the Jews’ Passover, it is said that his first year of public
ministry officially began at the Passover on John 2:13, after the wedding of Cana and
this marks the end of the period before his first year of ministry (Smith 2012:42).

2. The first year

Jesus’ first year of ministry officially started at the Passover on John 2:13, it is at this
very same Passover that Jesus furiously chased away the traders he found doing
business in the temple courtyards (Joh. 2:15-16). He then continued by performing
miraculous sings (v. 23) which led to his conversation with Nicodemus the Pharisee
in John 3:1-21. ‘After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside,
and he remained there with them and was baptizing’ (Joh. 3:22, ESV).

When Jesus realised that the Pharisees have heard that he was baptising more
people than John, he decided to journey to Galilee. Usually people travelling from
Judea to Galilee would go around Samaria (Smith 2012:52) but John tells us that
Jesus had to go through Samaria (Joh. 4:4). On his way through Samaria he met a
certain Samaritan woman who came to draw water and he started a conversation
with her about her spiritual need (p. 53). This lead to a revival in Samaria and Jesus
tarried there for two days and continued to Galilee (v. 43).

From Samaria Jesus travelled to Galilee, where the major part of his ministry took
place, he proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of God and his message was

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 A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: From the second
year of His Ministry to the final week of His Life

accompanied by four acts, namely; healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching
the gospel and teaching the truth (Smith 2012:56).

Upon his arrival in Galilee Jesus visited Cana, where he was already popular due to
his first miracle where he turned water into wine (Joh. 2:1-11). Whilst he was there,
there came a government official whose son was sick, asking Jesus to go with him to
Capernaum to heal his son, however, Jesus healed this official’ son without even
going there (Joh. 4:46-53, GNB). He healed the boy in Capernaum while he was at
Cana, the distance between these two towns was about 30 kilometres (Smith
2012:58).

During this period Jesus visited his home town Nazareth where he was invited to
read a scroll in the synagogue, however, he was rejected and almost killed for
rebuking the people for their sign-seeking mentality (Luk. 4:16-30). After this
unpleasant happening Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum (v. 31) and this is
where he properly began his Galilean ministry. He used Capernaum as his home
base as ministered throughout Galilee, he called more disciples and he continued to
preach and perform miraculous sings as per his mandate (Smith 2012:61). The first
year of Jesus’ ministry was concluded by the calling of Matthew (p. 93).

Conclusion

This assignment gives a chronological overview of the life and ministry of Jesus
Christ, before and during the first year of his ministry. The period before the first year
is characterised by his birth, childhood and preparation for ministry. The first year of
Jesus’ ministry officially started at the Passover on John 2:13, he travelled to Judea
from there through Samaria to Galilee where the bulk of his ministry took place.
Jesus suffered rejection at his home town Nazareth, from Nazareth he went to
Capernaum, using it as his base he continued with his ministry and became more
popular and well known throughout that region.

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 A Chronological Overview of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: From the second
year of His Ministry to the final week of His Life

Works Cited

American Bible Society 1993. Good news Bible (2nd ed.). Electronic edition:
www.e-sword.net, 2011

________1995. Contemporary English version Bible. Electronic edition:

www.e-sword.net, 2011.

Crossway Bibles 2001. The holy bible, English standard version. Electronic edition:
www.e-sword.net, 2011.

King James version Holy Bible. 1769. Electronic edition: www.e-sword.net, 2011.

Smith KG 2012. BIB1123-The words and works of Jesus Christ: Study Guide.
Johannesburg, South Africa: South African Theological Seminary Press.