Matter of Time

Time is something we can’t quite figure out, can’t grasp, cannot fathom.

It seems a blessing that it moves so slow when it comes to the length of our lives, but a curse that it moves so slowly when it comes to something we want.

This week is my son’s birthday. As he has matured, his desire for his birthday to come is waning. It used to be he would be practically counting down the days, then the hours, then the minutes in the weeks and days leading up to his birthday. This year he announced to me he really “wasn’t that excited” about his birthday. What a change!

And that’s the way it goes with this matter of time. We don’t know why or how it changes, but it does. It seems relative to us because it is. That’s one thing we sort of inherently understand.

Now try eternity. If we have a tough time grasping time, which is linear and palpable – and real to us in our existence, imagine coming to grips with eternity. Imagine the finite grasping for the infinite. Poof!

Jesus wants us to know what is coming. We actually do know what is coming but we have a great way of putting off thinking about it because time moves so slowly relative to the perceived length of our life.

So Jesus comes along and says, “Excuse Me, but I’d like to talk to you about your eternal destiny.”

That’s exactly what happened when Nicodemus came to see Jesus in the evening after a long day’s teaching and ruling over the Jews. Nicodemus came for one thing and left with another. He came seeking to know what Jesus was doing right now, and Jesus sent him away with a certainty about what He is doing forever. Imagine the interruption in the train of thought.

John3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Talk about a reversal of direction. Nicodemus comes to inquire of Jesus, and Jesus sends him on a mission to inquire of himself. The question he MUST ask himself – this religious leader, this teacher of the Jews, this one who has given his entire life to the church: “Are you born again?” You MUST be born again, nothing else matters. Are you born again? Nicodemus? You MUST be born again. Are you born again? Are you? Are YOU? Time matters, but eternity matters more.
- Pastor Bill