April 25, 2023

The Law of Timing

“So, Jesus said to them, ‘My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.’ Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.” John 7:6-9 (NASB)

            John Maxwell shares in his book, “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” great advice concerning #19 The Law of Timing: “Good leaders not only need to make good decisions, they need to make these decisions at an appropriate time. ‘When the right leader and the right timing come together, incredible things happen.’ As the adage goes, ‘Timing is everything.’ Maxwell says when a leader acts, there are only four results.” 

·         Wrong action + wrong time = disaster

·         Right action + wrong time = resistance from your team

·         Wrong action + right time = mistake

·         Right action + right time = success [1]

             “My time is not yet here…” This response is similar to one given by Jesus to Mary during the wedding in Cana in John 2:4, “And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” Jesus would not be driven by his family’s perceptions of when He should appear or how he should act. He would only appear when it was the right time, and in the Father’s will. His timing was not self-serving, but God-serving. This divine timing would not come until the next feast of Passover.  

            “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” When Jesus told the brothers his “time is not here, but your time is always opportune,” He indicated they were still lost. The world would not hate those who embraced them. Because Jesus was about to expose the evil in the world, there was no doubt the world would hate Him because it went against their deeds. Borchert says, “Since Jesus was on mission for God, the world could not avoid hating him because, as here noted, his life and work clearly bore witness (marturein) to the evil nature of the world’s works (7:7). The brothers, however, were not in the same category as Jesus. Therefore, the world did not hate them…”[2] If the brothers appeared in Jerusalem, they would not face trouble. So, Jesus told them to go to the feast.

            Knowing when and when not to do something can lead to a number of consequences. Some lead to a disaster, some resistance, some by mistake, and some of success. We see this in the Law of Timing. A question arises from this thought, “How do we know we are being led correctly?” The answer is simple. We as Christians have the answers printed in God’s Word. The next question is, “Well, where do I look for the answers?” This question reveals a deeper problem. If this is not clear, then we spend too much time looking to others for advice instead consulting God. If you have this problem today, I challenge you to seek out someone who can help you learn, and then start reading God’s Word. Then you will have the right guidance.

[1] https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership/

[2] Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 281.