My Time Has Not Come

In the Gospel of John, five times we are told that His time had not yet come. The first was at the wedding at the town of Cana in Galilee. Although the family of Jesus were not yet aware of who He was (John 7:5, Mark 3:21), Mary His mother, had known since before His birth. She knew of the need for more wine at the wedding feast. When she approached Jesus about the problem, He said, “My time has not yet come.” But Mary, showing her position as mother, expected Him to do as she asked and told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them,. (John 2:4-5)

Later, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus told His family that “His time had not yet come.” (John 7:6 and 7:8) They were urging Him to go to the week long feast, of which attendance for all Jewish men was mandatory. Jesus followed them to Jerusalem in private. Halfway through the feast He entered the Temple courts and began to teach. Again, the leaders tried to seize Jesus but were unable, “because His time had not yet come.” (John 7:30) In what is apparently the same period, Jesus was again teaching in the Temple, “Yet no one seized Him, because His time had not yet come.” (John 8:20)

There are other instances where the Jews tried to take hold of Jesus but were unable. A wonderful example is found in Luke 4:16-30. Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,”

Jesus was actually reading a prophecy about Himself. But, notice the comma after Lord, indicating that He stopped reading in mid sentence. Here is what Jesus did not read;

“And the day of vengeance of our God;” – Isaiah 61:1-2

By reading only part of this prophecy, Jesus showed His two-part ministry. The first part was fulfilled two thousand years ago; the second part is yet future.

Jesus then told the congregation that this Scripture was fulfilled that day in their hearing. When He explained to them that the Lord also cares for Gentiles, they tried to throw Jesus over a cliff. But they were unable, because His time had not yet come.

At the time of the final Passover, in which Jesus was crucified, some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. They were possibly Jewish proselytes, since they were in Jerusalem for Passover. It was on this occasion that Jesus stated, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23)

This was the Passover when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, and when He was crucified. His time had come. Praise the Lord for His wonderful Plan, which includes us Gentiles. Praise the Lord for raising Jesus from the dead almost two thousand years ago, that we might have that same wonderful hope.

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