Jesus: The First 10,000 Days: How Jesus Came to Understand His Identity, Calling, and Ultimate Destiny

Jesus – The First 10,000 Days explores the secret or hidden years of Christ’s life, the time before he began his ministry. By steering clear of the excesses of the imagination — be they modern movies or early gnostic gospels — this study takes us on a journey closer to factual evidence. It is borne from the conviction that more can be known than is initially apparent as we examine the pointers within God’s word. Since the time of the early church, people have been naturally curious to know more about the life of Jesus before he began his three-year ministry. Jesus – The First 10,000 Days speaks to that longing. The starting point for our quest is the four Gospels, moving on to the rest of the New Testament. We also delve into Old Testament passages that point to Jesus, and consider extra-biblical sources from a variety of disciplines. Drawing extensively upon the scriptures Jesus loved, knowledge of first century Judaism and life in Israel at the time, we can piece together what it might have been like for Jesus growing up. How might he have come to appreciate his unique identity as Messiah, his message, and his mission? And what are the implications of this for each of us?