John 2:20 is a proof scripture for establishing Christ’s baptism, as well as the establishing the year of His crucifixion.
To make this determination it is necessary to know the length of His ministry, which is found in Dan. 9:27.
“Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to the sacrifice and offering.”
He is to confirm the covenant for one week, a period of seven years; but in the middle of the week He causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease. Once He was sacrificed, the temple and its sacrifices and offerings for sin comes to an end, and is pictured in Matthew 27, verse 51. “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;” By Christ paying the death penalty the holy of holies was opened up to the whole world; to all men, not just the high priest once a year.
The bible is a book of truth, which is confirmed in II Tim. 3:16-17. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
John 2:13 places the time of the year as just before the Passover which takes place on the 14th day of the first month, and would be at the beginning of the year. “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Verse 20 continues, Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise It up in three days?”
The statement in John 2:20 of “forty-six years” by the Jews” is part of scripture, and will be shown to be a proof scripture for the crucifixion year of 30 AD, and the baptism year of Christ as 26 AD. Prior to this statement the following event takes place, in the last half of the year before the statement in John 2:20 is made. First there was Christ’s baptism given in Mark 1: 9-13. “It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. The site of the baptism was at the river Jordan with the wilderness of Judah laying to the west.
Jesus then spent forty days fasting in the wilderness of Judea. After fasting Christ returned to where John was now baptizing at Beth bara, an area southeast of Jericho on a tributary of the Jordan River. This was closer to Jerusalem, allowing the authorities to question John which is recorded John 1:19. “Now this was the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levities from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” Christ was standing among them. John 1:26. “John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize with water, but there stands one among you whom you do not know.’”
At this time Christ called five of His disciples: John, Andrew, Peter, Phillip and Nathanial as recorded in John 1:36-51. In John 1:43 Christ says that He desired to go to Galilee. “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Phillip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” The reason for this is found in John 2:1-2. “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” These were the five disciples mentioned in the previous verses. The Bible does not give a detailed account of this time in months and days, other than the length of His ministry being three and one half years.
The half year is what is going to be looked at here. The half year would put Christ’s baptism about the seventh Hebrew month, followed by the forty days of fasting, and time to recover, bringing the date to the later part of the ninth Hebrew month, Kif. John 2:12 says “After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.”
In the Book of John the last four months of AD 26 are not addressed. The account is picked up at the beginning of AD 27, using the Passover as a marker. John 2:13. “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” The proof scripture is found in John 2:20. “Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’”
Secular history gives the date BC 2020-2019 as Herod the Great began to replace, section by section of the old temple with the new temple. The sanctuary of the temple was the first to be completed. The work started at the beginning of BC 2019, and this gradual project was not completed until AD 64 when all of the secondary area was finished. The statement is given in BC years, making it a Gregorian time element set against the sacred calendar.
This math gives nineteen BC years as the starting date, leaving 27 AD as the beginning of the 47 year, and correlates to the Jewish statement of forty-six years. At this point three years are left in Christ’s ministry, bringing it to the crucifixion year at the start of 30 AD, with a Wednesday Passover, thus making John 2:20 a proof scripture, as the year for the crucifixion must have, and which 30 AD does have!
For confirmation see the Calendar Generator at www.biblicalcalendarproof.com for the year 30 AD. Read the article THE GOOD FRIDAY MYTH, found on the same website.
With this information, the following is based on the irrefutable statement of John 2:20. “The Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’” AD 26 was Christ’s baptism year and was followed by the next three years of His ministry. AD 27, 28 and 29 result in His crucifixion being on Passover, at the start of 30 AD.
This accurately accounts for Christ’s ministry of three and one half years.
Don Roth
12-06-21