Jesus prepared 30 years for three years of ministry.

Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, Luke 3:23 (NKJV)

Jesus was 30 years old when He started His ministry. Before this happened, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and He was baptized in the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14). In John 2, His first miracle was recorded; turning water into wine. God’s glory was manifested at this time.

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. John 2:11 (KJV)

When God’s glory is manifested, it brings miracles; miracles of salvation, creating new limbs, raising the dead, dominion over nature like walking on water, etc. Jesus had a strong start to His public ministry, but He also had 30 silent years of preparation that came before it.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him…. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. Luke 2:40, 52 (KJV)

If you read all of Luke 2, you’ll see that at an early age, Jesus understood He was called by the Father. Yet, in His time of preparation, He submitted to His parents and others placed in authority over Him, and He grew in wisdom, stature (or age), and in favor with God and man. He grew and became strong in spirit and in body. He was filled with wisdom and God’s grace was upon Him.

Those 30 silent years were important to prepare Jesus to know God, to know His mission, and learn how to relate to people. Even Jesus had to grow in wisdom to know what God wanted Him to do, when to do it, and how to do it. He had to learn how to love and minister to people, to deal with religious people, and how to exercise dominion over devils, sickness, disease and sin. The things He faced during those 30 years prepared Him. This preparation was essential in Jesus overcoming everything He faced and in His fulfilling God’s plan.

If Jesus, Who was God in the flesh, had to prepare, how much more do we need proper preparation to accomplish anything for God! We must follow Jesus’ example and take time to learn God’s Word, how to pray, and how to relate to others. Jesus worked a job as a carpenter, lived with His earthly family, took the lead as the oldest son, and dealt with the aspects of everyday life- all of which helped Him to learn and grow as a person so He could be ready for ministry- and ultimately so He could give His life.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30 (KJV)

Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” which in the Greek means “Paid in full.” Jesus finished what He started, completed His assignment from God, and fulfilled Scripture. He paid the price in full for our redemption. The years of preparation paid off.

As we go through the silent years, those years of preparation when it seems like no one knows who we are and never will, we must remember that the lengthy preparation means that God has called us to a great work. The longer the preparation, the greater the work that we are ready to do for the Lord. No time is wasted when it is spent being prepared by God to be vessels fit for the Master’s use. The greater the preparation, the greater the impact. And in the end, we’ll be able to say that our assignment is finished, and we’ll hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the Lord’s joy.”