Timing Is Everything

Timing is Everything

Introduction

Welcome

In the LOTR movie, the Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf the wizard says, "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." And while that's a humorous way for the character to get around the fact that he showed up late, it points us to the idea that there is a perfect time for an event.

One of my favorite parts of reading the Bible is found in the book of John. Over and over, we find a Jesus repeating a simple phrase, and then suddenly, it seems like he changes His mind. For some reason, I just find this fascinating. And it speaks to God's timing, which just like Gandalf's, is precise. Not too early, not too late, but precisely at the right time. It's not just John that points to this.

Body

John 1:1-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.

Of course, this points us back to

Genesis 1:1.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

And that is a timing point, right there, "In the Beginning." Remember that eternity stretches forever, in both directions, like a string that has no beginning or end. But at some point on that string, God said, "Now is the right time to create," and They did it. I say, "They," because we understand that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were all present and involved in creation. Timing is everything.

Another example of God's perfect timing is found in Esther. Remember how Haman had set up the Jews to be killed? And Mordecai and Esther are communicating back and forth about this, and we come to these verses in chapter 4.

Esther 4:13-14

13 Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. 14 If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this."

Timing is everything.

Even in our study of Ecclesiastes, we encountered these verses of truth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; 3 a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; 6 a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; 8 a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

We understand from these examples, that timing is important. So what was that phrase I was talking about earlier, the one that I said fascinates me? Turn over with me to John 2:4.

"What has this concern of your to do with Me, woman? Jesus asked. My hour has not yet come.”

And there it is, "My hour has not yet come." Jesus is saying that the time isn't right for Him to be revealed as God's Son in the flesh, confirmed by miracles. I also find it interesting that even though Jesus says this, He still is obedient to His earthly mother.

We could spend a lot of time looking at the history of the world, the rise of the Roman empire, the roads that Rome built, and the trade routes established by the first century that meant that God's Gospel could and would be spread, literally to the "ends of the earth," or, "all nations," as Jesus says in Matthew 28:19. But, today I'd like to stick primarily with the scriptures.

The next we encounter this phraseology from Jesus, it is in chapter 7. Let's look at it together.

John 7:1

"After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since He did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill Him."

Since the verse starts out saying, "after this," let's go back a little bit to get some context. Chapter 6 ends with many of the disciples deserting Jesus. Pick up with me in verse 66,