Biblical Numbers

We now move on into some other significant numbers found in the Bible. Today we consider the number 30.  There are two contrasting texts that I want to unpack today. The first is found in Luke 3:23 where we read, “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.”

When I read this text, my mind begins to wander and wonder, what  was Jesus doing during those 18 years since we last read of his encounter in the Temple at the age of 12? The hidden years of Jesus Christ's life remain an intriguing mystery, with various theories and speculations about what may have happened during this period. While official Christian theology does not offer specific details, some theories argue that Jesus may have traveled to other regions and studied other religious traditions.

John Oxenham in his novel, 'The Hidden Years' portrays the youth of Christ, from the time he was twelve to the final catastrophe, told by one of his intimate companions. Jesus is depicted from a human point of view. The novel takes a reverent approach in its descriptions of the situations, many of them unusual, in which Jesus figures. 

But can we learn anything of those years from chapter 4 of Lukes Gospel? First, we discover Jesus was raised in Nazareth. Second, that the Spirit of God was within Him. Third, that everyone in the synagogue who heard Him expounding the prophecy of Isaiah were amazed at His wisdom and knowledge—because they knew Him to be a simple carpenter, not a learned individual who had studied abroad. They knew Him as the son of a humble carpenter; this is why they asked, "Isn't he the son of Joseph?" In essence quite an ordinary yet an extraordinary life with an inner dimension that many found hard to fathom.

One such individual who featured at the end of Christ's earthly ministry of whom it could be said couldn’t fathom out this Nazareth Teacher was Judas. This is where we come across another appearance of the number 30.   In Matthew we read 'one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests  and said, "What will you give me if I hand him over to you?" They settled on thirty silver pieces.  He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

Poor Judas, for ever remembered as the betrayer. Unlike Peter, his greatest mistake was not that he betrayed Jesus, but that he had no confidence in the Lord's mercy and in his own power to recover from that betrayal. 30 years, 30 pieces of silver still speak to our age and seek from us a response.  

Lord, we are so sorry that we do not always remember your value and what you are really worth to us. Lord, help    we lift our lives up to you, we honour you. You are worthy of everything and we give you our whole selves freely. Amen