Food for thought for your Sunday before Christmas.

---

 

Jesus and the right time. Jesus keeps his word.

 

From all people the family of Jesus who should have believed in Jesus, but sadly they did not recognize God in Jesus.

 

While Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But When the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him. 

“You ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples might see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world. For even his own brothers did not believe in him 

 

Therefore, Jesus told them. “The right time for me has not yet come; for you anytime is right. The world does not hate you; but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the feast and I’m not yet going up to the Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking,  “Where is that man? Among the crowds there was a wide spread whispering about him. Some said, “He’s a good man”. Others replied, No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. (John 7:1 to 13.)

 

There is an ingredient in testifying that is called “The right time.” Or the fullness of time. In Greek it is known as the “Kairos” or “Timing” of God.

 

Ever since the fall of man it is evident that there are only two ways to live life. God’s way or men’s way. Men live either Under the “kairos” or timing of God or under “Cronus” or “Chronometer” or the time of men, a pagan god “Cronus”.

 

After the fall the greatest virtue of waiting on God in childlike dependence is lost and anytime became, “the right time.”

 

According to Jesus that is not the case. The “timing” or the will of God must prevail because as great as the universe is, there is no room for another will or timing but for the Will and timing of God.

 

The first evidence of the fall is that communion has suffered the first des encounter in history.

 

Adam and Eve are not in the Garden waiting in a childlike anticipation for the Holy and daily encounter “at the cool of the day.”

 

The Lord is in the right place, in the right time as surely and infallible as predestination and sovereignty.

 

Adam and Eve like the brothers of Jesus were with Jesus but did not believe in him because they no longer waited in God’s time and decided to eat the fruit in their own time.

 

In our Sympathy with our first parents we must not minimize the fall as an insignificant act of disproportionate consequences. It is not even a matter of eating a measly little fruit that God did not even eat or for that matter like it.

 

It is not a matter of eating a fruit from the ground. No, the crime is not just eating the fruit or taking something that was not theirs and prohibited. The crime was greater than what at first sight it appears.

 

The crime is High Treason, betrayal, bridge of trust, a coup against God’s kairos and will.

 

It would have not matter if and enemy acted against God’s will because the next step would have been as simple as stepping over Cockroaches.

 

No, it was not that simple, because Adam and Eve were not the enemies of God. They were their beloved children and friends.

The attack of an enemy is to be expected as normal as the running of the water through the path of least resistance.

 

But high treason is the work of a trusted friend. “Only a friend can betray a friend.”

It hurts badly when the betrayal of a friend as small as it might look because it comes from one whom you love and trust and did not expect pain.

 

That is why unfaithfulness is a valid reason for divorce. If we cannot trust the word, what can we trust? Men and women are their word only.

 

God gave his word to Adam and Eve with the intention to keep it.

Adam and Eve by daily communion with God at the cool of the day “agreed” with God and said, “Yes.” God’s relationship with men was based on the word given.

 

Gentlemen keep their word at all cost.

 

Breaking the word is breaking trust therefore is high treason or betrayal that brings about disagreement, divorce and all its logical Consequences.

 

There is more to breaking the word than what meets the eyes at first sight. Not to take Jesus at his word is the unforgivable sin.

When the given word is broken, it is the end of a relationship of trust.

 

“BUT GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVE IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”

 

The first and the last “court case” and throughout the ages is the same. “THE SOUL WHO SINS MUST DIED.”

 

The word of God toward men cannot be altered. While all have sinned and have fallen short from the glory of God. All have sinned and therefore all are dead without any possibility from the life of God.

 

But God in his infinite love and grace gave himself in the person of baby Jesus. Jesus is not someone like Joseph of Aremathea who was graved against this will to carry the cross of Jesus. No. 

Jesus was God himself in the flesh coming to keep his word on behalf of Adam who broke his word to God.

 

“THE SOUL WHO SINNED MUST DIE”.

 

God in Jesus became sin in our instead and died on our behalf and on the third day he resurrected from the dead so his death and resurrection is our death and resurrection by love and grace through faith and even faith is a gift of God so no one will glory.

 

A broken word can only be repaired like a broken bridge from the side that was not broken. It is up to the innocent party to have mercy or not to have mercy, to reach out or not to reach out.

 

It is a crime against God and humanity for a man to break his word and cause the death of all human beings. God will not have for innocent the guilt. God cannot, must not and will not leave men unpunished according to his word.

 

Therefore, a Savior was needed in Jesus in us as the only hope of glory. The gospel is not a concept the gospel is a person and that person is Jesus.

 

Since the death and resurrection of Jesus the gospel of Jesus is the gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. The Gospel is not the gospel of only confession but it is the gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Thanks for the work of Jesus on the cross on our behalf and his glorious Resurrection of which we will be partakers in his name and his name alone is that we have hope.

 

The gospel of Jesus was manifested in the right time in the fullness of time and the time of God’s own choice bringing us back into agreement, back into the reconciliation, back into communion in the garden at the cool of the day, back to the garden as if nothing ever happened. 

God in Jesus was reconciling the world unto himself and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation as if God through us would be begging men to come and reconcile yourself with God and God has fixed the time, the right time for his return which as never before its been closer to this day that it could even be today my beloved.

 

This was a friendly remainder from the prophet of the poor on duty.

 

Gerry Gutierrez

 

PS. God the Father in Jesus is the gift of God of himself to us.

Jesus is not a gift wrapped in human skin but God himself in human form. Let us remember God the Father himself in baby Jesus this Christmas. It is to know Jesus and love and follow we have been called. This is the right time to draw near to God.

 Pictures: Nothing like a good steak with you boys after you learn to take off in an Airplane in Tacoma with Eric.