The Right Time

Scripture: John 7:6 – “Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.’”

One of the classic conundrums is between action and inaction. This is not only a personal emotional response to the challenges of our lives, but a debate upon which there is great wisdom on both sides. A quote attributed to John F. Kennedy is, “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” On the other hand, Leo Tolstoy is reported to have said, “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” So which is it? Is action just the fruit of impatience and anger? Is patience just the fruit of indecision and fear? How do we know which time is right?

There is a story in the Gospel according to John about a debate between Jesus and his brothers. Some people forget that Jesus even had brothers and that their relationship with him was at times contentious. On this occasion, the brothers wanted Jesus to go down to Jerusalem for a festival so that he can show his power to the world. In fact, do not exactly believe in Jesus and want to see things for themselves. They say, “No one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” Theirs is a call to action, for Jesus to put his great wisdom into practice.

But Jesus says, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” Jesus has a great mission from God, one that others cannot fully understand. He indicates that his brothers have the luxury of being in and of the world, able to rush out in action to right the wrongs they see. Jesus, on the other hand, feels the hatred of the world because he criticizes how its ways of power lead to oppression and suffering. He advises patience and sends his brothers to go on without him.

But then, Jesus heads to the festival anyway in secret. Thus he is able to preach his message challenging the Jewish authorities at just the right time, without the hoopla of crowds or reports of his coming. Jesus acts at the right time in the right manner.

We lack Jesus’ wisdom about the times and are indecisive even about when we should decide about things. We must not rush into action, even if the cause is just, without careful planning, lest we fall into those unintended consequences. We must also not let our ignorance about all factors paralyze us from doing good in the world either. Like Jesus’ brothers, we do not know the times, but Jesus does. As long as we pray to Jesus and find our peace in him, we will know when to act and when to wait. Through our Lord, let us seek the Kingdom that is to come and is already among us.

Prayer – Lord Jesus, give us the wisdom to know when to act and when to wait so we can maximize the love we send into the world. Amen.