Next year marks a milestone worth pausing to reflect on. In 2027, Christians worldwide will remember the 2,000th anniversary of the day Jesus of Nazareth was baptized in the Jordan River and anointed by the Holy Spirit. That moment launched His public ministry and changed history.
On October 13, 2026, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world leadership voted to recognize this anniversary. Here’s why it matters and how we can take part.
How do we know it was A.D. 27?
The Gospel of Luke gives us a clue most ancient writers didn’t. Luke says John the Baptist began preaching “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1, NKJV).
Tiberius became emperor in A.D. 14. Using the Jewish way of counting a foreign king’s years, his fifteenth year runs from the fall of A.D. 27 to the fall of A.D. 28. That places Jesus’ baptism right around A.D. 27, when Luke tells us He was “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23, NKJV).
A prophecy right on schedule
Here’s where it gets exciting for anyone who loves numbers. About 500 years before Jesus, the prophet Daniel predicted when the Messiah would appear. Daniel 9:25 says the Messiah would come “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” after a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
The math works like this:
7 + 62 = 69 weeks
69 weeks × 7 days = 483 days
In Bible prophecy, a day often stands for a year (see Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6), so that’s 483 years
The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued in 457 B.C. (Ezra 7)
Count forward 483 years, remembering there is no “year zero” between 1 B.C. and A.D. 1, and you land on A.D. 27
That’s the same year Luke’s history points to. A prophecy written centuries earlier matched the very year Jesus was anointed as the Messiah.
What happened that day
Jesus came to John at the Jordan River and asked to be baptized. John hesitated, but Jesus insisted (Matthew 3:13-15). As Jesus came up out of the water (Mark 1:10), the Holy Spirit came down on Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22, NKJV).
Jesus was baptized by immersion, going fully under the water. The Greek word baptizo means “to dip” or “plunge,” and John chose a spot “because there was much water there” (John 3:23, NKJV).
More than a history lesson
Jesus didn’t want His followers to just watch. He called them to join Him. He told His first disciples He would make them “fishers of men” (Mark 1:17, NKJV). He sent out the twelve, and later seventy more, to share the good news (Luke 9 and 10). He told people He healed to go home and tell others what God had done for them (Mark 5:19).
His ministry led to the cross, where He gave His life for our sins, and then to the empty tomb three days later.
How can we celebrate?
The best way to honor Jesus’ baptism is to keep doing what He started:
- If you’re exploring faith, this is a great year to learn more about who Jesus is and to consider following Him, including His example of baptism.
- If you already follow Him, share His love and hope with the people around you, from next door to around the world (Matthew 28:18-20).
And 2027 brings us one year closer to the day Jesus promised to return (John 14:1-3). The same Jesus who came as a humble servant will come again as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16, NKJV).
Source: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, “2027: The Two-Thousandth Anniversary of the Baptism and Anointing of Jesus of Nazareth,” voted by the GC Executive Committee Annual Council, October 13, 2026.
