According to tradition, Jesus served in His ministry for 3 years, ending in His death (and Resurrection) when He turned 33. For me, this year is what I like to call my "Jesus Year". Having just turned 33 after 4 years of ministry has caused me to reflect more on Jesus' ministry and what that might mean for myself and for all followers of Christ.
Who:
First, we have to remember that Jesus was young. Yet this didn't seem to affect His ministry, except in His home town of Nazareth, where people asked, "is this not Mary's son?" Perhaps today, Jesus would be asked, "is this not that young whipper-snapper?"
Jesus, in spite of His age, wasn't agist. From the race to see the empty tomb by Peter and the Beloved Disciple, it seems that Jesus called to ministry, specifically ministry of leadership, both those who were older and those who were younger. Jesus also served both the old, particularly those with disease, and the very young. It is a reminder to us that we need to pull our leadership from all age groups, just as we should be serving people of every generation.
What:
Jesus' ministry is really comprised of two things. Teaching is such a major part of what Jesus does. Some of the longest continuous passages in the Gospels, including the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the two Final Discourses in John, are made up solely of Jesus' teachings. Plus, just as we, today, use sermon illustrations, Jesus used the stories of Parables to make many of His points. It makes you think a little more about the importance of teaching and formation in ministry.
Jesus' ministry was also centered around healing and miracles. Pastoral Care is really the way that we enact what Jesus did with healing today. To really glean the lessons from Jesus' ministry, we have to remember that we are both spiritual and physical beings, and these two areas of our lives are intrinsically connected. To care for one, we often have to care for the other.
Jesus included His Disciples in the key work of ministry. He sent the Disciples out to teach and to heal, even during His own lifetime. Jesus saw that true ministry was about raising up people to be leaders and that it included everyone. Whether you are a lay minister or ordained, we are all called on to continue the work Jesus sent His Disciples out to do.
When:
Like all of us, Jesus needed breaks, and He tried to take time to be by Himself to pray with the Father. Every time we see Jesus take a retreat, or even a nap, in the Gospels, He's interrupted. Even when He is at home working, Jesus constantly has His next step of ministry in mind.
The easiest thing for us to do is to see ministry as a 9 to 5 thing. We need to see ministry more as a life thing. We still need breaks, but we also need to allow for those opportunities that fall in our lap, seemingly at random, to serve.
Where:
Jesus served His ministry in Galilee, a small area in Israel, which is already a small country. Occasionally, for holy festivals and the like, Jesus ventured into Jerusalem, but the core of His work was around the Sea of Galilee. Yet, the Good News of Jesus Christ spread throughout the whole world.
While Jesus centered His focus on a small area, trained and equipped a small group of leaders, and got very close to a family or two, that didn't mean He wasn't reaching out to a larger audience. Many people sought Jesus out, and He even ministered to groups of people in the thousands. People came to Him for teachings and healings who He never saw again.
Jesus' ministry was small and personal, yet was still able to have a reach beyond. How much easier is it for us to have a regionally and specifically focused ministry that has a wider and broader impact in our day and age?
Why:
Ultimately what Jesus taught us is how to have a deeper relationship with God, as well as with each other. Whether it was through preaching repentance, teaching forgiveness, or summing up the entire Tanakh in the Two Great Commandments ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."), Jesus was trying to bring us back to God once again. This is the reason He died on the cross for us. How we help others build their relationship back to God is vitally important, and faith without our connection with God is no faith at all.
I hope this journey has given you something to ponder. In reaching this Jesus Year, I have found that we all have to take time to re-examine what we are doing to make sure that we are following the path God has laid out for us. I hope you can do that, each individually, just as I hope the church will reflect on the ministry of Jesus and see how we can serve our Lord even better than we have before.