The title of this post is meant to be a very practical way for me to introduce myself. As far as I know, I am the youngest member of this blogging team, and yes, I am under the age of 40. I'll even tell you that as of this writing I am a sprightly 37 years old. My station in life fits this age: I currently teach New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary as an assistant professor (read: still seeking tenure), and like many people my age I am married and in the midst of raising some wonderful children. I am working to establish my academic contribution through teaching and publishing projects (read: still seeking tenure!), and I have a strong desire to serve the Lord with my work.

The age of 37 is actually quite a significant number to me on two fronts.

Personally, I recognize that I am no longer what many people in the world consider young, but I certainly don't think of myself as old. I have thought about this a great deal over the last few months and wondered how it makes me think differently about Jesus. It is almost an axiom of scholarship that people tend to see Jesus like they see themselves. So permit me some generalizations and some questions: The young often see Jesus as a idealist; the aged see him as an established icon. What about those of us who are in the middle? I don't see Jesus as a young hipster, but neither do I see him as conservative at all costs. Is there an appropriate way to process my age as a factor of my relationship to him?

More reflectively, when applied to Jesus' life this age becomes highly significant. If you were to ask the average person how old Jesus was when he died, most would say 33 years old. That number is lodged in our public, communal consciousness. It is not likely, however, to be correct. One of my colleagues, Dr. Harold Hoehner, has done intensive work in the chronology of Jesus' life. He argues that the best date for Jesus' birth is 5/4 B.C. and the best date for Jesus' death is 33 A.D. This would make Jesus around 37 years old when he died.

So to return to my last question, my age makes a connection with Jesus that I cannot presently overlook. The number 37 forces me to see Jesus at the most decisive moment of his earthly life. He was on the cusp of an event, a transition which would alter the world forever. It forces me to see Jesus as someone who was willing to die in the prime of his life to accomplish something that would touch people at all ages of life. At the age of 37 Jesus died on the cross and rose again, effectively transcending age and removing its power over human existence.

As I look at my life, I pray that what I am doing and how I am living at this wonderful age of 37 will also transcend my age ultimately to the glory of Christ.