Timing is everything. Everything that’s done well is done well when we carefully, patiently pay attention to good timing. Whether you’re an athlete trying to exploit defenses, a musician trying to create beauty from your tempo, a cook trying to sear a steak just right, or just about anything else, you know both how to be patient for the right time and how to seize the moment when the time comes. Even the Messiah worked patiently and strategized meticulously to operate his ministry according to exactly the right timing—because timing is everything.
This theme of “the right time” is prevalent throughout John’s gospel. God had prepared all the world for a single day that would bring world redemption through Jesus’ death and resurrection. That day, that “right time,” is the hinge of human history. Every detail of the past prepared for it; every detail of the future depended on it. Jesus knew that plan; he knew when that perfect time would come. That’s why he preached to crowds when he did and hid himself away when he did. Everything had to run according to the Father’s perfect plan.
So when Jesus’ brothers invited him to go to Jerusalem and make himself a public figure, did Jesus lie by saying he wasn’t going? Technically no—because what he really told them was that he had no interest in show business. He was busy trying to follow his Father’s timing, bring his Father glory, and fully prepare Israel for his own crucifixion; he had no time to make things about him! It turns out bringing attention to himself never got in his way of bringing attention to the gospel. And this is the Son of God we’re talking about.
If there’s any message for us in this, it’s that the same should be true about us! Our evangelism should never be a cover-up for drawing attention to our own selves. Ask yourself this question: if helping more people know the Lord involved you fading into oblivion and never being remembered in this world, would you still do it? Incredibly, the Son of God himself would shout yes without hesitation. How much more should we? God has prepared eternal glory for us; that shouldn’t be our worry. Our concern should be for following his plan, according to his timing, for his glory, after the example of his exalted Son. Timing is everything, but none more than God’s timing.
