Not long ago during a funeral service the thought came to me that Jesus was never in a rush. I was pondering this later and then Lazarus’ death came to my mind. Jesus waited two days before going to an ailing Lazarus and when He arrived with His disciples Lazarus was dead and already buried. Then, Jesus wept right along with all the other mourners grieving the death of their loved one. Jesus had done some major healings before, and so everyone knew that He could have stopped Lazarus from dying. Jesus seemed to have been late, however His apparent tardiness was for a greater purpose.
So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. John 11:6
So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus died, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let’s go to him.” John 11:14-15
Jesus was purposeful and He was never in a hurry. He understood about God’s timing and knew that it was important to spend time with people, speaking to them, and listening to them intently to hear even what was not said. How many of us are in a hurry to end a conversation because we are so busy being busy? This makes us miss out on precious moments. A friend of mine learned this lesson last week and recognized that he should stop cutting conversations short because he could be curtailing a God given moment. The Father created people not only to worship Him, but also for each other. He wants us to build meaningful relationships. As a friend of mine said, we are to be “rusty iron sharpening rusty iron”.
Many Bible scholars believe that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount teaching could have lasted for several days. That is a big difference for many of us as nowadays we don’t want our church services much longer than an hour as we have other activities scheduled. Jesus not only took time to teach, but He also took time to dine with His friends.
When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Luke 22:14-15
Jesus knew He was about to suffer and die, but He still took the time to relax and have His last meal with His apostles before His death. He didn’t see His apostles just as ministry workers, put as people whom He loved and who He wanted to be with. Many church workers are experiencing burnout because they are so busy getting ministry done and are not being ministered to by others. They are often hurrying from one task to the next doing work for the Lord that He may not have called them to do and all He desires is to spend unhurried time with them.
I am learning how to do life’s journey with God, and He is making me realize I must make the most of this journey by enjoying the moments with Him and truly caring for the people He puts in my path. He has made it clear to me that life is not about projects, but it is about people. If the project or church activity is successful but the people who are carrying out the work to make them happen are tired, frustrated and hurting, then I have actually failed in God’s eyes. I feel I failed last week because I was so busy hurrying to get things done that I forgot to check on a few people that He wanted me to stop and speak to. It is important to take time to see what people needs instead of trying to get them to complete a task that I think that God wants done.
And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:39-42
Martha was rushing around trying to make Jesus feel welcome with all her preparations, but He was happier with Mary sitting at His feet. In one of my Bible studies, one of the ladies said that when her friends visit, they have to explain to her that they came to see her and spend time with her. She is an excellent hostess, so she has a tendency to be busy serving them when instead they want to sit with her.
Like Jesus, we need to stop being in a rush. We need to take time to be with Him and our loved ones. We sometimes get so busy that we miss hearing His voice calling us to simply sit with Him instead of being so busy for Him. Just as we saw Jesus desiring to be with His apostles, He is desiring to be with us. If we are to hurry, let it be to be with Jesus.
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Luke 19:5
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