He was shot and bleeding from his side but somehow, he managed to drag himself to the secluded cabin. He had to. His wife and daughter were being held hostage by a villain who would kill both of them in less than an hour unless he showed up with the money he demanded.
In every show, novel, and performance, there is a relentless struggle against time. If there were no time constraints, there would be no urgency, drama, or tension. The tyranny of time draws us into the plot and makes us hang on to the end, eager to see the outcome. The most dramatic example of this is seen in the life of Jesus Christ.
The disciples that Jesus chose to be with Him surely loved every moment they were with Him. They witnessed numerous miracles and within a very short period of time, Jesus had performed two amazing miracles, feeding at least five thousand and four thousand people, on two separate occasions, with only a few loaves of bread and fish. Everyone saw the power of their Lord! It couldn’t get any better than this. How did Jesus respond? At the peak of His popularity, Jesus bluntly told His disciples that he would die.
Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.
Mark 8:31 (NLT)
Wait! What? What did Jesus mean that He would die? They were with the Messiah. He would restore the Jews to power and overthrow the Romans occupiers. He would establish God’s Kingdom on this earth. The disciples thought they had all the time in the world. Now, they were told that He was on a timeline of death. Jesus’ revelation should have encouraged them to action, instead, they were confused, even doubtful. Indeed, some of His followers even left Him.
Why would Jesus say this?
The tyranny of time holds no power over God. God created time. His existence supersedes time and is never limited by it. Our finite existence is subject to the physical laws of the universe which God placed into motion. God uses time to teach us to rely by faith upon Him. With every situation we encounter, no matter how dire or hopeless it appears, God is in control. There is no greater proof than the Cross. Embedded within Jesus’ statement that He was going to die was an even more important timeline. Three days later, He would rise from the dead. For thousands of years, the great saints and prophets looked forward to the day when the Messiah would come. Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies but not many recognized that some of these prophecies also spoke of His death and resurrection. It was a timeline that few, if any, could comprehend.
The Good News is our lives will not end with death but will continue for eternity in Heaven in the presence of Jesus Christ. God conquered the tyranny of time by His victory over death through faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
Amen!
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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