Patience in Faith: Lessons from Jesus’ Timely Messages

When I was studying and referencing for my second book, “The New Christians Guide to the book of John” I ran across a phrase from Jesus 3 different times: “My time has not yet come”

I never thought much about it at the time, but I noticed that over the weeks it kept returning to my mind. I cannot remember ever hearing a sermon or Bible teaching about this phrase, but it seems to be critically important, especially extrapolating it for todays Christian.

Specifically three times:

John 2:4 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”

Set at the wedding in Canaan when Mary asked Jesus to turn water to wine.

John 7:6 (KJV) ” Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.” 

Jesus Brethren  trying to convince Him to enter into Judea for the Festival of Tabernacles.

John 7:8 ” Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.”

Mentioned again in the same conversation with the Brethren. But this time telling them to go ahead to the festival for He could not yet go.

In both cases, Mary and the Brethren thought that it was time to show the people who He truly was

Jesus uses this phrase these three times to indicate that it was not time for his unveiling to the populace as the Messiah. It was still too soon to reveal His ultimate purpose and mission—His crucifixion and resurrection. For example, in John 2:4, during the wedding at Cana, Jesus says to his mother, “My hour has not yet come,” when she informs him that the wine has run out. In the John 7 verses, He knew when He returned to Judea that the time would be nigh for His execution, and it was too soon for events to play out exactly as they should.

In a broader sense, this phrase can be interpreted as a reminder of divine timing and patience. It suggests that there is a right time for everything, and sometimes we need to wait for the appropriate moment for certain events or actions to unfold. This can be applied to our lives today by encouraging us to trust in the timing of His will on our journey and to have faith that things will happen exactly as they are meant to, according to His will.

In a world that often demands instant results and immediate gratification, this message can be a powerful reminder to practice patience, trust in the process, and believe that our own “time” will come when the circumstances are right.