Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 3:23 (New Living Translation)

23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.

Jesus was about half the age of life expectancy when He began His public ministry. Three score and ten is seventy years of age. The life expectancy in Jesus’ time and place was much less than seventy. Jesus was practically middle age or past His prime or a “has been.”

Jesus was the Son of God and did all things well and … well, you know … Jesus was Jesus.

Yet Jesus had to wait until He was about thirty years old. That required great patience to wait that long. That is what Jesus did; He waited and waited and waited. Jesus waited until Peter, James, and John and others were ready to hear Him. Jesus waited until just the right Roman rulers were in just the right positions of power. Jesus waited for the lame to be in just the right place at just the right time. And Jesus waited until Judas was the right age to be the treasurer and the betrayer.

I’m in a hurry—too often. Waiting until just the right time and place … that is a tough job. And what makes it tougher is that I don’t know just the right time and place for the other person and everything. Thinking back on my life, God put me in just the right time and place to love and serve just the right person.

This is all too complicated for me. How does God do this? I’ll never understand. Please God, help me to trust and obey.