March 4
JOHN 11
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him. – John 11:54-57
JOHN 11 WHEN WE WORK IN GOD’S TIMING
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When we are called by God for a calling
We need to work in God’s proper timing
He knows what is best because he sees all things
While our mind is limited, it may miss out on something.
What do we make of this account? Was Jesus hiding for fear of his life? Of course not. He was retreating to the wilderness in order not to stir the crowd and pre-empt his death and resurrection in their timing. He was obedient to God’s timeline. He will never go against God’s plan. Jesus was resting in the quiet of the wilderness so that he can be still and quiet in his Father’s presence. He needed to prepare for the coming days when his sacrifice on the cross was coming up.
The great Charles Spurgeon comments on these verses “We do not find that he wrought miracles there or preached, but in a holy and devout retirement, it may be, he prepared his mind for the last great week — the week of his passion and his death. It is generally best for us to imitate him in this; and when we have some great work to do — something that will need all the grace that we can get, it is well to make a retreat —get into retirement, and school the heart, and seek to drink in fresh strength that we may be prepared for that which lies before us.”
REFLECTION
• Share a time when you went against God’s timing and its consequence to you.
