Why Wait?
Have you ever wondered why Jesus waited until He was thirty years old to begin His public ministry? His time on earth was limited. He knew that, so one would think He would want to make good use of every moment. We know He was reading the Biblical texts and answering questions in the temple when He was only a boy, but instead of racing out to reach the people as soon as He was of age, He waited. The result was a ministry that lasted only three years. How many more lives could He have touched if He had begun at the age of 18 or 20 or even 25?
Maybe you don't wonder about these things, but I wonder about a lot of things. In fact, you could call me "Wonder Woman." My mind is full of questions, and this is certainly among them, especially since I don't like the idea of waiting. I like the concept of "now," as in my body is healed now, the ministry is expanding right now, our finances are improving as I speak/write. Now is good. Waiting? Well, I guess that's good too, though it's certainly not pleasant.
I can't tell you the specific reasons Jesus waited to begin His public ministry, but I can give you the broad idea. He waited because that was His Father's will. We don't know everything about Jesus' time here on earth, but we do know this--He was adamant about doing His Father's will.
“ For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. ”
“But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. ”
“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work ”
“Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. ”
Based on the above Scriptures, we can conclude that it must have been God's will for Jesus to wait until He was thirty because Jesus always followed His Father's plan. He never strayed. He never hurried things along to better suit His schedule. He never stepped outside the boundaries of obedience. When the Father said, "Wait," Jesus waited. When He said, "Go," Jesus went. He said it Himself, "I do always those things that please him."
Can we say the same? Do we do the things that please the Father or the things that please us? Do we rush ahead of His perfect timing, trying to do more because we think we have a better plan? Our logic tells us we could accomplish more for the kingdom if we act now, speak now, take that job now, make that move now, etc. But what does God have to say about the matter? If He's telling us to wait, we can be confident He has a reason. We may not understand it, but then again, we don't have to understand. We need to obey.
I admit, there are some things in my life that I would love to fix RIGHT NOW. But as much as I would enjoy the instant fix and gratification, I think I'd rather be able to say, "I always do those things that please my Father." How about you?