Ever waited a long time for something? A baby to be born, an escrow to close, a school year to end, or the wedding day after a long engagement. Jesus waited about 33 years to do what he came to do. There are a few instances in the gospels that emphasize how long he had remaining and the hour yet to come.
John 2:4
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
Matthew 17:17
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”
John 7:30
At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:20
He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Even demons were aware that Jesus’ time on earth was connected to important times to come.
Matthew 8:29
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Jesus’ 33 years lead up to the rejection and pain he was born to experience on the cross. Just before his arrest and the beginning of his suffering, he prays,
John 17:1
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”
The hour finally arrived.
I bet waiting feels different when it’s for something difficult, rather than the happy hopes listed above. The approaching death of a loved one in pain, a judge pronouncing an uncertain sentence, a lie not yet found out, a difficult surgery rescheduled. That kind of waiting can be awful and frightening. But Jesus’ life up to that moment was not marred by fear, except the fear of the Lord. Trusting the Lord helps life be marked by faith, not dread. Jesus even prays for the glory of God to be revealed through the pain. We can pray that same way and live it too as we trust his timing and love.
Pastor John Riley