The Hour has Come

Scripture: Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." John 12:20-23

Observation: Jesus has repeatedly said before that his time has not yet come, that it will be soon, but is not yet. However, that suddenly changes ... there is a direct connection between the Greeks asking to see Jesus, and Jesus stating that the time has come for his true identity as Messiah to be revealed.

He goes on to again revisit his parables - that of scattering seed, and how one must lose their life to gain there life. And by revisiting these metaphors, we can now see what he was always talking about. The gospel is to be scattered to all nations and the entire world, and regardless of people's lives in the world, if they will follow Jesus, they will receive eternal life.

This is the connection: The entire world is ... NNNNOW ... ready to seek the Messiah, receive the gospel, believe in the God of Abraham by believing in the Son and just believing in the one who sent the Son. The hour has come ...

Application: I believe this same concept applies on the micro level that it did at the macro level. Jesus was saving the entire world, and thus God had prepared all of human history for a specific moment, and it arrived. At that time - with the majority of the world unified under one government and the rest of the world at least in communication with that central authority if not sharing in their philosophy and trade - it was time to redeem the world with the good news of God's love.

Today, this applies to individuals. Many individuals are not ready to receive that good news, and thus it is not time to reveal it to them. However, there will come a time - there will be an hour that comes - when that person is ready to hear about Jesus.

Will I be there to deliver that message? Or will someone else?

Prayer: Lord, we need revival in Seattle! This is a dark, dark place, where Satan is winning a lot of battles. There are souls here worth saving, and who would be written into your book of life if only they received the good news at the right time. Help me to be ever aware and alert, to be on the watch for those right times, and may be I prepared with your message when the hour arrives.