His Hour Had Not Yet Come

Scripture:        John, chapters 7-8

John 7:14-30 (NASB):

But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area, and began to teach. The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself. The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?”

The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?”

Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you are all astonished. For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath? Do not judge by outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

His Hour

So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? However, we know where this man comes from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

So they were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Observations:

There are so many things at work in this passage that I could make a sermon out of it rather than a blog post. Jesus’ presence at the Jewish festivals is a thread which runs through John’s Gospel. John presents Jesus as the fulfillment of those festivals.  We see this in today’s passage in Jesus’ statements about living water later in chapter 7. The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) involved the priest pouring water from the Temple and allowing it to run through the city. (We’ve already seen Jesus talking about “living water” in chapter 4.)

Another ongoing theme is Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders, and the confusion of the people. Both of those are present in today’s passage as well. Jesus talks about the leaders “seeking to kill Him” (v 19). At first, the crowd challenges that statement; however, they later say, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill?” (v 25). The confusion about Jesus’ identity and ministry also prompts the people and the religious leaders to point out His Galilean heritage.

His Hour Had Not Yet Come

But the thing that most catches my attention this morning is the statement at the end of the passage: His hour had not yet come. The subject of Jesus’ “hour” (or “time,” depending on your translation) is another major theme that runs through John’s Gospel. Jesus demonstrates a powerful conviction that everything must happen in God’s time. In chapter 2, when Mary comes to Jesus at the wedding, Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come” (2:4). When the people wanted to make Him king by force in chapter 6, He slipped away. Although John doesn’t explicitly say “His time had not yet come,” the implication is understandable. And at the beginning of chapter 7, when His brothers urge Him to go to the festival, He says, “My time is not yet here” (7:6).

The crowd wanted it to be “His time,” because they were waiting for the Messiah. The religious leaders wanted to get rid of Him, but they couldn’t – because it wasn’t “His time.” His brothers challenged Him to seek out the crowds, because they didn’t believe in Him – but it wasn’t “His time.” To paraphrase 2 Peter 3:9, God isn’t slow – His timing is always just right. No matter what we face, if we trust in God and His plan, He will always work exactly the best way!

Application:

God’s ways are not our ways. God’s timing is not our timing. We are impatient – we want things to happen right now! We think that we understand best how God should work – but God knows so much more than we do. God is always at work for our spiritual good, and we can trust Him to do what is right for us.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we should stop and recognize how God worked in bringing His purposes to pass.

• Who would have thought that God would take on flesh and live among us?
• If God decided to do such a thing, why would He be born in a stable to a poor couple with no standing or prestige?
• Why would God-with-us Emmanuel allow Himself to be beaten and tortured and killed?
• Once Jesus had conquered death, why wouldn’t God just bring His kingdom in its fullness right away?

Be honest: none of us would have planned it that way! But that was not just the best way; it was the only way. And all who believe are the beneficiaries of God’s grace! “Good news of great joy for all the people – a Savior!” (Luke 2:10-11)

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the gift of life that you offer us through Your Son Jesus. As we prepare to celebrate His coming, remind us that Your plans and Your timing are always best.  Give us patience; help us to trust You more each day. May we do Your will today, that Your Kingdom may come in ever greater measure, until that day when it comes in its fullness. Amen.