by David Scott Robertson
"You see, at just the RIGHT TIME, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).
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Yesterday I dropped my wife off at the Nashville International Airport to catch a flight to Orlando, Florida to attend a job-related conference. The flight converts a 12-hour drive into a 2-hour flight. We had to time it just right to leave home, make the drive from Murfreesboro to Nashville, and drop her off in time to meet all the security check requirements.
Sometimes, life is a lot like catching a flight at an airport. We do our best to manage and balance the "hurry up" versus "wait patiently" aspects of our busy lives. Jesus had to contend with the same 24-hour periods of time that we do every day of our lives. Unlike us, however, Jesus was able to pull off being on time, all the time, every time.
ARRIVALS - ON TIME - At the RIGHT TIME in human history, Jesus arrived. Not a day early, not a day late, but at just the RIGHT TIME.
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…" (1 Timothy 1:15).
POSSIBLE DELAYS AHEAD - Many had tried to get Jesus off Father God's timetable. His birth would not wait until a sterile hospital birthing room was invented and Mary could have an epidural to relieve the pain.
"…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
BOARDING CALL - Later on, Jesus' own mother tried to jump-start His public ministry by asking Him to perform a miracle.
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come" (John 2:4).
LET'S GET THIS THING OFF THE GROUND - His brothers tried get Him to prematurely become a celebrity.
"Jesus' brothers said to him, 'You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.' For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, 'The RIGHT TIME for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the RIGHT TIME has not yet come'" (John 7:3-8).
THIS FLIGHT MAY BE CANCELLED - Jealous religious leaders of the day incited zealous but misguided laymen to try to terminate the Messiah's mission.
"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way" (Luke 4:28-30).
And this they tried on more than one occasion.
"At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds" (John 8:59).
RIGHT ON TIME - In spite of all the human (and demonic) attempts to get Jesus off track, it never happened. Jesus was never in a hurry and never late.
- He sat at a well to get a drink at just the RIGHT TIME so He could meet a woman and reach a city (John 4:6-29).
- He approached a town gate at just the RIGHT TIME and gave back a dead son to his mother (Luke 7:12-15).
- He walked past a blind fellow named Bartimaeus at just the RIGHT TIME and the man went home seeing (Mark 10:46-52).
- He told Peter to cast a line into a fishing hole at just the RIGHT TIME so he could hook the exact fish swimming by with a coin in its mouth (Matthew 17:27).
- And on and on it goes, story after story, of Jesus showing up and all of heaven breaking loose.
UNEXPECTED DELAYS - Even when He was accused of being late, He was on time.
- "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21).
- "While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" ((Mark 5:35).
Turns out even His delays had meaning and purpose and glorified His Father in heaven.
ALL FLIGHTS ON TIME - We stand on solid ground when we say that Jesus Christ was at the right place at the RIGHT TIME all the time.
Knowing what we know now, we can readily see that wherever Jesus happened to be and whatever Jesus happened to be doing, He was doing the right thing at the right time. He was always on schedule, on track, and on target with the will of His Father in heaven.
Storms didn't stop Him, demons didn't delay Him, detours didn't hinder Him, working one-on-one with people didn't set Him back; even times of rest didn't prevent Him, not even once, from being in the right place at the right time. Nothing at any time impeded, obstructed, interrupted, or even postponed God's plan for His life. Jesus truly lived in the center of God's will and timing. And to beat all, even His death was on time.
DEPARTURE - ON TIME - At the RIGHT TIME in human history, Jesus departed. Not a day early, not a day late, but at just the RIGHT TIME.
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4).
"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (John 19:30).
Amazing! Even though Jesus died a young man, he did not die prematurely. He actually "finished the work" that God had called Him to do. He is the ultimate example of a purpose-driven life.
Fast-forward to our society today, most particularly the American culture. We are driven by time. It's not just catching a plane that brings time management to the forefront of our thinking either , it filters down to mundane, routine things like catching a meal. Fast food restaurants, microwave ovens, pizza delivery, "heat it up and eat it up" is where many of us really live.
This cycle of fighting to be on time invades many other areas of our lives. Overnight package delivery, day planners and hand-held computers all have their part to play in a culture that wants what it wants when it wants it.
Ironically, most people procrastinate on life's most vital issues. The urgent intercepts the important. Soccer practice is urgent; getting your child saved is important. Fighting rush hour traffic to meet friends after work at the restaurant is urgent; introducing friends to Christ is important. Getting to your aerobics class three times a week by 6am to work on your body temple is urgent; getting to church Sunday by 10am to get your spiritual house in order is important.
In conclusion, I suggest that we do our best to align our life schedules up with the timetable of Father God. Accept delays and part of His plan. Tolerate detours as unexpected opportunities. If your steps are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23), then don't freak out if you fail to finish your daily to-do list. Expect the unexpected and consider that those interruptions, delays, and detours just may be divinely inspired.
Settle in your heart that God is never late but rarely early. Good things come to those who wait…on the Lord. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord as you face rugged circumstances. Resist the temptation to accuse God of being "out of the loop" of your life when it comes to a hundred practical things that didn't happen when you wanted them to happen.
I said it before but I want to say it again: we stand on solid ground when we say that Jesus Christ was at the right place at the RIGHT TIME all the time - on schedule, on track, and on target with the will of His Father in heaven. And since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), why not expect and receive a miracle today of being in sync with God's plan for your day/week/month/quarter/year/life?
DSR
7/17/05