Tag Archives: Good Timing

Day 32: Popularity vs. the Will of God

John 4:1-3 : When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

In this passage, Jesus decided to stop his disciples from baptizing in Judea and travel back to His home region of Galilee up north. Jesus didn’t want to continue when He heard that the Pharisees knew He was getting more popular than John. Now, to be very clear, I don’t know for sure why He did this, but we have other instances when Jesus stopped short of allowing Himself to get popular, when He turned the water into wine (John 2:1-11 and the post: “Good Timing”) may have been another time.

It is clear from those times Jesus didn’t allow Himself to be popular until God’s time for it had come. Instead of paying close attention to getting more popular, Jesus paid close attention that God’s will was done and He, instead, ensured that He didn’t get popular. God’s will was all-important to Jesus and this serves as an important example to us.

Does this mean that we should try to become unpopular? Not at all. The point here is that we seek and do the will of God above all else, even if it goes against getting popular. Jesus was later to allow popularity when it was God’s timing. Doing what God wants is really the only intelligent thing to do if you want to have the best life possible. Your life on earth will be better, even though we will still have many troubles, but your eternal life in Heaven will be much longer than the mortal one here.

In this world’s system, we see that it is normal to ignore God and focus only on this world. The way the world works is clearly not the way God wants Christians to be. We should seek God’s will as a top priority over everything else because the future is more important than the present. I don’t believe that finding God’s will is that difficult. God made us and He knows that we will work the way He made us. I am confident that God works with our desires. Sometimes, however, God makes it clear to us that His way goes against our natural desire and He expects us to choose the correct path. If we don’t follow His way, we will be sorry. God is the creator as we learned in chapter one, and He really does know what is best for His creation.

One of the great things about the Bible is that it is full of instructions about good things that He wants us to do everyday. One of them is getting to know His word like we are doing now:

2 Timothy 2:15 : Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

It is important for us to not forget that no matter what good works we do, we will need to stay connected to Jesus. We need His strength to do good. Jesus says later in John:

John 15:5 : I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Day 31
Day 33

Day 22: Good Timing

John 2:6-11 : Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three meters apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it. When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Notice how Jesus only worked with the servants. The person in charge of the party didn’t know that any miracle had taken place. Jesus did what His mother wanted but was also able to keep a very low profile. Jesus high-profile moment was yet to come. I am eager to talk about it but instead you can read ahead to Palm Sunday (and the miracle that preceded it) if you want. It is found in John 11:1 – 12:13. Jesus doesn’t attempt to stop the crowds but instead purposefully does a huge miracle in front of them and later accepts their praise as the King of Israel.

It is not uncommon that wrong timing is the sinful error that we make. There is an appropriate time for almost everything:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 :
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
a time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill,
and a time to heal;
a time to break down,
and a time to build up;
a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek,
and a time to lose;
a time to keep,
and a time to cast away;
a time to tear,
and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;
a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time for war,
and a time for peace.

Jesus masterfully managed this situation. He both honored his Father in Heaven and honored his mother on earth within the limits of His Father’s timing. Many of the great things that are ours as Christians will be realized in the future. For now, we look forward with a hope and faith in the One who has promised them, for there is a time coming in which our bodies will no longer die!

Day 21
Day 23