Luke J. Wilson | 19th August 2025 | Apologetics

A poetic post has been circulating widely on Facebook, suggesting that our anatomy mirrors various aspects of Scripture. On the surface it sounds inspiring, but when we take time to weigh its claims, two main problems emerge. The viral post circulating on Facebook [Source] First, some of its imagery unintentionally undermines the pre-existence of Christ, as if Jesus only “held the earth together” for the 33 years of His earthly life. Second, it risks reducing the resurrection to something like biological regeneration, as if Jesus simply restarted after three days, instead of being raised in the miraculous power of God. Alongside these theological dangers, many of the scientific claims are overstated or symbolic rather than factual. Let’s go through them one by one. 1. “Jesus died at 33. The human spine has 33 vertebrae. The same structure that holds us up is the same number of years He held this Earth.” The human spine does generally have 33 vertebrae, but that number includes fused bones (the sacrum and coccyx), and not everyone has the same count. Some people have 32 or 34. More importantly, the Bible never says Jesus was exactly 33 when He died — Luke tells us He began His ministry at “about thirty” (Luke 3:23), and we know His public ministry lasted a few years, but His precise age at death is a tradition, not a biblical statement. See my other recent article examining the age of Jesus here. Theologically, the phrase “the same number of years He held this Earth” is problematic. Jesus did not hold the world together only for 33 years. The eternal Word was with God in the beginning (John 1:1–3), and “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Hebrews says He “sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). He has always upheld creation, before His incarnation, during His earthly ministry, and after His resurrection. To imply otherwise is to risk undermining the pre-existence of Christ. ...