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Be Unhurried

By 21st Century Western standards, Jesus was casual about time. We see the pattern already present in the one glimpse we get of Him as a child. His parents had taken him to the temple when he was twelve years old. As they returned home, they discovered he was not in the caravan with them. They rushed back to look for him and found that He had spent three days in the temple interacting with the religious teachers there. (Luke 2: 46)

We never read of Jesus rushing about. He lived in a time and place where a lot of travel was on foot. In spite of a cruising speed of, say 5 or 6 kilometres an hour, Jesus always seemed to have the time necessary to get to where he needed to be at just the right time - without hurrying. As He was planning to go to Jerusalem, He precisely calculated the time He’d need: “I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following.” (Luke 13:33)

Unlike most of us for whom time is an enemy, it served His purposes. He controlled it well, yet He always had time for the unexpected. For example, as He was passing through Samaria on His way to Jerusalem, He met with some villagers who asked Him to stay with them. He granted their request and spent two days there before moving on. (John 4:40)

An even more startling was the situation in which He was advised of the illness of His friend Lazarus. Rather than rushing to get to his side to heal him, Jesus let two days slip by before responding. After this, He said to the disciples, in what seems to be a rather casual way, “Let us go to Judea again.” What the disciples didn’t know was that in those two days, Lazarus had died and was buried. Instead of going to observe a healing, they would witness a resurrection. (John 11:6...)

As we look at all of these things, we see that Jesus was never pressed for time. Personally, I admire that. I often feel obliged to juggle plans to deal with urgencies and emergencies. People need help. Things break and have to be repaired. The weather doesn’t cooperate with planned activities which have to be rescheduled. An not-to-be-missed opportunity comes along unexpectedly.

As I look at Jesus’ life, I observe a similar pattern. People came to be healed. Children were at the point of death. Midnight visitors needed to talk. Storms disturbed His friends and interrupted His sleep. Teaching moments came along as He and His disciples travelled throughout Galilee and Judea.

The difference is whether we look at these things as circumstances which completely mess up our plans or if we see them as opportunities to bless others, grow ourselves, and honour God. We can chafe and get frustrated, or we can learn to slow down and follow God’s timetable.

To follow Jesus’ example in regard to time and work, I’ll have to understand what God’s work is, the portion of it He expects me to do, and be responsive when the opportunities come along. Then I, too, will be able to take everything in stride.

Ron Hughes
© June 2009