"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law."
Galatians 4:4
God is never too late nor too early. That we see over and over again in scripture, and the biggest proof would probably have to be the timing with which Jesus came to earth. Given all the problems still in the world, we might be tempted to think that things would have been better by now if Jesus had shown up earlier - maybe in the time of Moses, in the time Babylon invaded the people of God, in the time before the flood of Noah or even when the earth was formed!
But the Christian faith stands on the declaration that the first century AD was the perfect time for Jesus to come and that God's will was indeed perfect in its fulfillment. Here are just a few reasons why Jesus came at the perfect time - not too late and not too soon.
- People were in high anticipation for the coming of a Messiah because of the many trials they had faced and the various prophetic words that had been spoken about the coming of Christ.
- Judea was under Roman rule, who had formed dominion over much of the known world bringing unity among various people groups, which would - after Jesus' death - aid the propagation of the Gospel resulting in the movement that we now know as the Christian Church.
- Although Rome had political and military power, Greece was most prevalent in culture and language, giving various peoples a united tongue so as to make communication of ideas, principles and beliefs easier. The Greek teaching of an immortal soul also proved to be helpful in instilling the idea of eternal life, albeit challenged in the way it could be attained, which we know is through faith in the work of Christ.
- Christ's work and coming was a direct fulfillment to virtually all prophecies made including the suffering He would go through by crucifixion (Deuteronomy 21:23).
These are all based on ideas and precepts from a human perspective, but in a heavenly perspective there is so much more to back the perfect timing of Christ's coming as Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord."
In all this we can be assured that when it seems like God isn't having His way, He really is but just in a way that we cannot fully comprehend at times. We apply this to a macro-perspective and apply what Jesus told the disciples after they had asked Him whether He would politically liberate Jerusalem from Rome to which Jesus only replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." (Acts 1:7) Or we can apply this at a micro-level and claim that Jesus indeed makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Jesus came at the right time and came to the right place in history, and He will always come at the right time for us as individuals and as a church awaiting His glorious return.
