Jesus Took Time

Jesus Took Time
John R. Petrilli

Some of you may be familiar with the term, “the tyranny of the urgent”. It happens when we’re hard pressed by something, and opt to address it as priority above everything else. A “I don’t have time for that” mentality drives the decisions we make about how we’ll spend our time, and if we’re not careful, we may end up jettisoning the very things that God says are not only most important, but absolutely essential to out spiritual well being. Things like prayer, worship, fellowship, Scripture reading and study, get literally “lost in the shuffle”, and our walk with God takes on a trajectory of steady decline. The truth is, it’s not about “how much” time we have, it’s about how we choose to use and prioritize that time.

JESUS CARVED TIME OUT OF A BUSY SCHEDULE TO TALK WITH THE FATHER IN SOLITUDE. Mark 1:35

So how does our day usually start out? The alarm goes off, we roll over with a groan, perhaps hit the snooze button, and eventually drag ourselves out of bed. Then it’s off to the bathroom, down to the breakfast table, and out the door. Before we try to justify this pattern with “I’m just too busy to meet with God”, we need to take a close look at the incredible demands of a typical day in Jesus’ life, then think again. According to Mark 1, a normal day for Him started before sunup and didn’t end until long after sundown, and was overloaded with activities that would drain and stress out the best of us. Things like Spirit-empowered preaching, miraculous healings of diseases and disabilities and demonic exorcisms. These and much more were all in a day’s work for Him. I preach one 30-minute message and am completely drained. I visit three folks in the hospital, and am crying for supper and my easy chair. I encounter resistance to my witness, and am ready for a break. Here’s the Lord cruising through a day more demanding than any of will ever see. But note what happens the following morning. Instead of “sleeping in”, He sets the alarm to an hour before dawn, gets up, and goes out to a spot where there are zero distractions. He had the wisdom to escape the distractions of eye and ear by praying in the predawn darkness, and escaping the interruptions of others by leaving the home He was staying at. He positioned Himself to receive the direction and strengthening He’d need for the new day ahead of Him. Jesus models what it means to prioritize the habit of meeting with God privately on a daily basis, and wants us to follow His sterling example (Luke 5:16 ; Matt. 14:23; Matt. 6:6). While Jesus and Daniel are seen praying alone at various hours of the day (Psa. 55:17), the priority the Bible gives to the morning watch is unmistakably clear. The pressures and problems of daily life can sap the joy out of living. We need to maintain a vital connection to our Source of spiritual life, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:5). As we intentionally carve out time to quietly dwell on God’s presence, His Word and Spirit will take root and bear fruit in our lives. Let’s tap into the Root so that we can produce lots of luscious fruit!


JESUS CARVED TIME OUT OF A BUSY SCHEDULE TO FELLOWSHIP WITH PEOPLE.

A partying Jesus? I’m afraid so. Not only was He present at a wedding reception, He actually saves the life of the party by replenishing the refreshment table and rescuing the host from sure embarrassment (John 2:1-11). Oh, He could have easily sent back a reply to the wedding invitation excusing Himself on the grounds that He had to be about His Father business. But, no, He is a Man among men. He helped institute marriage, and wasn’t about to let an opportunity to share in the joy of this young couple’s union escape His “to do list”.

Then there’s the time when Jesus invited Himself to dinner at the home of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-6). I can almost hear the joy in Jesus’ voice as he celebrated the fellowship as well as the newfound faith of His new buddy (v. 9). So how are we doing in the fellowship category? Do we place high priority on spending quality time with family and friends? And what about our church family? Do we make it a point to meet with them regularly to share in worship, fellowship, ministry and much needed encouragement (Heb. 10:24-25)?


JESUS CARVED TIME OUT OF A BUSY SCHEDULE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS.

Someone once pointed out that Jesus is never seen running in the Bible narratives. His life was so well ordered and attuned to the Spirit that He moved through each day one godly step at a time. This allowed Him the freedom and flexibility to respond to others in an incredibly sensitive and highly effective manner. He cared enough to observe others. He stopped to listen to others. He responded to their needs. He blessed their lives through His active loving concern. See the Messiah stooping down to clean the crud off the disciples’ feet with not a hint of shame or disgrace (John 13:1-17). Knowing His demeanor, He probably did so with such elegance and class to inspire the disciples to line up for the next chance to be a foot washer! Watch Him brush away the disciples and open His loving arms to the little children as if they were the only thing on earth that mattered that moment (Mark 10:13-14). Observe as He stops dead in His tracks to respond to a duet of two sight-impaired individuals desperately crying aloud to Him for healing mercy (Matt. 9:27). While most of us do not have the luxury of an itinerant schedule, there’s nothing stopping us from being alert and responsive to the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to reach out and touch some hurting, needy heart. The issue isn’t opportunity, the real issue is our availability. And according to Paul, our loving service should extend beyond the fellowship of the saints to include random acts of kindness towards those outside the fold as well (Gal. 6:10,13).


JESUS CARVED TIME OUT OF A BUSY SCHEDULE TO WORSHIP REGULARLY IN A BELIEVING COMMUNITY.

I once stumbled upon a precious little children’s book titled, “Did Jesus Go To Church?”. Written by a New York State based author and former pastor, the volume helped children see from the Bible how Jesus lived out His faith even during the tender years of childhood. So DID Jesus go to church? According to Luke, Jesus was what we’d call a “regular church goer”. The text says that synagogue attendance was His “custom”, His regular habit (Luke 4:16). Is it a coincidence that Christ had such command of the Hebrew Scriptures? While His parents surely instructed Him in this regard, I haven’t a doubt in my mind that the synagogue augmented that domestic tutelage, producing a Man Who was mighty in the Scriptures. From early on in His life, everyone was amazed with the breadth and depth of His grasp of Scripture (Luke 2:46-47). Just picture it, here’s the Chief Shepherd submitting Himself to Israel’s under shepherds, and confounding them at that! His pattern of Synagogue attendance didn’t change one iota (John 18:20), as we see Him repeatedly teaching there, even at the risk of excommunication (John 9:22) and execution (Luke 4:28-30)! What a contrast between Him and us, who may ocassionally consider skipping church because we don’t want to fight traffic, sit in an uncomfortable pew, or contribute to the financial support of the ministry.


JESUS CARVED TIME OUT OF A BUSY SCHEDULE TO WITNESS TO ALL WHO WOULD LISTEN TO HIM. John 3 ; 4

imho (text lingo for “In My Humble Opinion”), evangelism is as simple as one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread. Original huh? Yeah, yeah, I know it’s an old, worn out line, but its still true! We don’t have to “force” the gospel on anyone. We live the life, and as God opens up opportunities, we share the faith. Of course we’re to pray for the salvation of the lost around us, and ask God to open those evangelistic doors. But when all’s said and done, we’ve just got to cooperate with the awesome work of soul winning that God’s already engaged in. He’s doing the work, we’re just along for the ride. God’s not going to let anyone get lost that He’s ordained to be saved. He simply calls us to help Him gather in the crop. Now does that take the pressure off or what?

Jesus shows us “how” to do evangelism. The first two chapters of the Gospel of John may as well be called “Evangelism 101”. He engages people where they’re at, and uses parallels in their lives to attract them to Himself. He asks great questions that get people to think through their presuppositions. He challenges them to consider His call to a higher and more rewarding plane of living. He affirms their strengths, and invites them to join Him in reaching a world that’s doomed to a dark, hopeless eternity. He openly expresses His affection for others, always willing to help them in any way He can. He wins their trust with a genuine love that expresses itself in not so random acts of humble service. As we follow His lead, we’ll start catching “fish”, and perhaps become experts hauling in more than our nets can handle (Matt. 4:19)!