How Old Would Jesus Be Today?

The question of how old Jesus would be if he were alive today is an intriguing one that many people have wondered. Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Christianity who Christians believe to be the Son of God, lived about 2,000 years ago during the Roman era.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: If Jesus were alive today, he would be approximately 2,024 years old, having been born around 4 B.C. according to most biblical scholars.

In this article, we will dive deeper into determining Jesus’s age, exploring factors like the uncertainty around his exact year of birth and discussions among theologians about whether Jesus aged after his resurrection.

We’ll also look at how Jesus’s teachings and ministry might translate to the modern world if he were alive today.

Pinpointing Jesus’s Year of Birth

The Gospels Do Not Specify a Year

The four Gospels provide a narrative of Jesus’s life, but none of them actually specify a year for his birth. There are some contextual clues, like mention of Herod being king, but the Gospel writers likely assumed their readers would know approximately when Jesus was born based on common knowledge at the time.

Working Backward from Herod’s Death

One way scholars have tried to estimate Jesus’s birth year is by starting with the year King Herod died. Herod plays a prominent role in Jesus’s infancy narrative, ordering the slaughter of innocent babies in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the prophesied messiah (Matthew 2:1-18).

So Jesus had to have been born before Herod died in 4 B.C.

Settling on 4 B.C. as the Most Common View

Most scholars believe Jesus was born sometime between 6 and 4 B.C. based on biblical details and other historical sources. Specifically, many settle on 4 B.C. as the most likely year for these reasons:

• The Gospel of Luke says Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23), which is estimated to have started around 28-29 A.D. Counting backward 30 years from that brings us to 4 B.C.
• References to the census of Quirinius in Luke 2:2 point to 6-4 B.C. as the probable time frame.
• Matthew’s mention of Herod the Great ordering the slaughter of innocents squares with the historically known timeline of Herod’s reign which ended in 4 B.C.

So while the year is not definitively recorded, biblical details and historical records point to Jesus being born around 4 B.C. If Jesus was born in the year 4 B.C. and died around 30 A.D., he would be approximately 33 years old today if he were still alive.

But since he is believed to have risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, he exists outside of earthly time constraints.

Did Jesus Age After His Resurrection?

The Resurrected Body in Biblical Accounts

The Bible provides some clues about whether Jesus continued to age after his resurrection. According to the Gospels, Jesus rose from the dead with a physical body that still bore the wounds of his crucifixion (John 20:27).

His disciples could touch and interact with his body, and he even ate food with them (Luke 24:30, 24:42-43). This suggests his resurrection body was tangible and recognizable, not just a spirit.

However, Jesus’ resurrected body also seemed to have new supernatural qualities. He could appear and disappear at will, entering rooms with locked doors (John 20:19, 20:26). This indicates his body was no longer bound by normal physical limitations.

Jesus implied his resurrected body was a glimpse of the future resurrection bodies believers would one day receive (John 20:29).

The Book of Revelation describes the “glorified” resurrected bodies of believers as being immune from suffering, death, and perhaps even time or aging (Revelation 21:4). So while Jesus likely still looked like himself after his resurrection, his new spiritual body may have transcended the aging process.

Ongoing Theological Debates and Perspectives

Some theologians believe Jesus’ resurrected body did not age. John Piper states, “Jesus entered into a new existence of resurrection life where aging no longer happens.” Others say once a person is resurrected, their body reflects their optimal age.

Catholic Answers says glorified bodies in Heaven will be “the peak of health and vitality.”

Still others argue Christ’s aged resurrection body carries symbolic meaning. Today Devotional’s Dennis Bratcher says, “An aged resurrected Jesus is a powerful affirmation that it was a real human being who died on the cross, not just an illusion or apparition.”

He suggests Jesus bore his scars to retain a visible connection with humanity.

There are good arguments on all sides. We may never fully understand the nature of resurrected bodies until experiencing our own. But these perspectives provoke reflection on Jesus’ sacrifice and the future hope of Heaven.

As author Randy Alcorn puts it humorously, “If we don’t like our resurrected body once we get to Heaven, we’ll have all of eternity to get used to it!”

Contextualizing Jesus’s Ministry in Modern Times

Spreading His Message in an Interconnected Yet Divided World

In today’s globally connected world with the internet and social media, Jesus’s message of love, forgiveness, and unity could potentially reach more people than ever before. However, we also live in an increasingly polarized time with divisions along political, racial, and religious lines.

Jesus likely would have leveraged the interconnectedness to preach inclusivity while speaking out against harmful divisions.

Tools like Facebook Live and YouTube give modern figures an immense platform for spreading messages widely. Based on Jesus’s passion for reaching masses of people, he presumably would have become a major influencer across social channels.

However, he also may have boldly called out how social platforms can divide groups into dangerous “echo chambers” that promote extremism and Atomization.

Applying His Teachings to Modern Moral Quandaries

From bioethics dilemmas like CRISPR gene editing to debates around issues like gun rights and immigration reform, Jesus would thoughtfully apply his teachings to complex modern questions. While avoiding dogmatism, he likely would have provided nuanced guidance rooted in timeless scriptural wisdom but adapted for contemporary times.

For example, on immigration he may cite Old Testament commands to treat foreigners well while also empathizing with working-class people’s fears around economic insecurity. On issues like abortion, he possibly would have urged more support for vulnerable mothers facing crisis pregnancies rather than strident condemnation.

Jesus tended to reach people’s hearts first before addressing their outward actions.

Jesus as a Major Influential Figure and Celebrity

As one of history’s most captivating personalities who reshaped spirituality worldwide, Jesus likely would have amassed enormous fame and influence in our mass media age. With compassion that transcended social barriers along with profound wisdom, he may have become far more popular and beloved than today’s leading motivational speakers and influencers.

Based on the millions who flocked to see Pope Francis in his recent papal visits, the crowds coming to hear Jesus speak likely would have dwarfed that enthusiastic reception. Auditoriums seating 20,000 people would probably be filled with overflow rooms needed.

People may have waited 12+ hours in lines for a chance to attend his events. A Jesus tweet or Instagram post would instantly go viral with millions of likes. His meteoric rise would have ironic parallels to his original story and profound humility in the face of adulating crowds.

Conclusion

Attempting to ascertain Jesus’s age if he were alive today takes some digging into biblical chronology and theology around the resurrected form. While an exact age can’t be definitively settled due to uncertainties about his precise birth year, the most common view aligns with Jesus being about 2,024 years old now.

Thinking about what Jesus’s ministry might look like if translated to 21st century society also opens up many possibilities. His message of compassion and redemption could spread farther than ever thanks to global connectivity, yet perennial societal struggles like materialism and ethnic strife pose obstacles.

Considering a historical religious figure in a modern setting helps underline the timelessness of spirituality amidst shifting cultural contexts over millennia. Regardless of the era, Jesus’s teachings on moral courage and love representing the highest callings continue to profoundly shape human relations.