It’s Not Time Yet

How does that concern you and me?” Jesus asked.
“My time has not yet come
.” John 2:4

Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples were guests at a wedding.

(Remember: In Jesus’ day a wedding  lasted a week, not an hour! Throughout the entire week-long ordeal, the bride and groom were responsible for housing, feeding and entertaining all the guests. To run short on any of the above was a social blunder of major proportions. To run out of wine, well, that was enough to get you a negative write-up in the Jerusalem gossip columns.)

So when the young couple ran out of wine at this wedding, Mary wisely brought the need to Jesus. At this point in Jesus’ life, Mary was not totally sure who Jesus really was, but she knew enough to figure that he could handle a little thing like a wine shortage.

So why did Jesus hesitate? Here was a chance for him to really shine. He could save the couple from major embarrassment and point people to his Father at the same time. He could use the wine crisis to start showing his disciples who he really was.

All of which, by the way, he ended up doing; but not until he’d made a critical statement: My time has not yet come.

What was he saying? It might be expanded this way: Mother, you are right to assume that I can help here, because my Father has given me the ability to do so. You are wrong to assume, however, that it is the right time for me to fully reveal my true nature. We’re on a timetable here, but it’s neither yours nor mine. It’s God’s. So I’ll lend my abilities to this current crisis, but don’t expect headlines. It’s just not time yet.

Jesus’ solution for the wine crisis was masterful: He provided first-class wine for the remainder of the event, he made the bride and groom look very socially savvy, he turned some old Jewish ceremonial water pots into a great object lesson about the new things to come, he give his disciples a first glimpse at his awesome powers, and he did so with only the servants in the house knowing about it.

Not a bad day’s work for someone who was still trying to fly below radar.

In Kingdom matters, timing is everything. As servants of the holy God, we are on his timetable, not ours. God has plans, tests and opportunities for us that we do not know about. He rarely acts when we want him to. From our perspective, we feel like all we do is wait on God. From God’s perspective, it’s just not time yet.

Are you struggling in your faith because God seems slow in coming through? Do you have hopes and dreams that you feel God has overlooked? Are you doubting your vision, all because God seems so slow to move? Then let the lesson of the wine encourage you.

You are not on your schedule. You belong to a God who is always doing more than we can see or understand. He’s the master at working behind the scenes. He may as well be turning your water into wine right now. So obey him and rise to the occasion. Just let God determine who writes the headlines.

 

 

©2014 Will Davis Jr.  Originally posted at http://www.willdavisjr.com