Updated on Oct 25, 2008.

During my Bible Study time, I was reading in John chapter 3 when something “popped out” at me! In verse 23, the Scripture says, “Now Jesus was about thirty yeas old when he began his ministry.” Does that strike a note of interest in you? Or, maybe you have already examined this and recognized the enigma (something not easily explained or understood) that it poses?

Although I have read this many times before, the question that occurred to me – this time – was, “Why did Jesus WAIT?”

There are several similar situations that come to mind. One is the case of Lazarus who was dead and had already been in the tomb for four days (John 11:17)! Why didn’t Jesus do something a the first notice of Lazarus’ sickness? Or what about some of the healings? Like the case of the blind man in John chapter 9 where Jesus told the man to walk a half mile down a very steep slope to the Pool of Siloam in order to wash off the mud that Jesus put there. Robin Sampson in her excellent blog (Heart of Wisdom) asks the question, “why didn’t Jesus just heal him there?”
In John 2:46,47 (when Jesus was only 12 yrs old) Mary & Joseph found Jesus “in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Emphasis mine) If Jesus was so smart at 12 that he “amazed” the Bible scholars of his day, why didn’t he go on the road as a child evangelist? Why did he wait another 18 years and then only have 3 or so years left for ministry?

One “answer” to Jesus’ 18 year delay in ministry is probably found in verse 52 – which I believe is one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible. The verse is its self an enigma, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” The only part of that that I can say I understand (at least partially) is that Jesus grew in stature. Although he could have been placed on this earth full-grown, he came as a little baby and underwent the struggles of physical growth – just like you and I must do.

BUT, beyond physical growth, the verse tells us that he also grew in wisdom. One reason that Jesus did not begin his ministry at the age of 12 is that he had to grow in wisdom. That is likely a problem that all of us face as well. In order to be successful, we must first acquire wisdom – and often, by the time we become “wise,” we are too old to do much about it! <grin>.

Later, Matthew recorded, (13:54) “Coming to his home town, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’” Apparently, Jesus satisfied the requirement that he grow in wisdom (and every other requirement of the Messiah). (Check out the next post for more about the acquisition of wisdom.)

I especially like the old BBC sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances.” Here is a short description from the www.tv.com website…

Patricia Routledge played Hyacinth Bucket, a woman who pretended to be upper-class but wasn’t. To side herself with Britain’s top ten percent, Hyacinth insisted her surname be pronounced “bouquet.” Her attention to cleanliness, candlelight suppers, and desire to sing gave pain to her husband Richard and her neighbors.

The name of the show is so descriptive of how a lot of people try to live. Hyacinth wanted to be something that she was not. Many people today want to be more than they really are – but are unwilling to pay the price to accomplish their desires.

On the other hand, the people in Berea (Acts 17) were NOT “nobility” by birth but they chose to develop a more noble character. They demonstrated characteristics that the Bible described as “noble character.”

Acts 17:10-12 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.  11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

There are at least three qualities of noble Christian Character which the people in Berea demonstrated:

1. They were open to hear – Paul preached the same message in Thessalonica & in Berea but the responses were very different. The people of Thessalonica rejected the message & started a riot while the Bereans “RECEIVED the message with great eagerness.”
2. They were loyal to truth – The excitement of hearing about Jesus & that He fulfilled the Biblical prophecies of the Messiah had to be CHECKED OUT. Each day, they “examined the Scriptures” to make certain that what they were hearing was actually true.
3. They were wise to chose – The emotional component of hearing that Messiah has come was balanced with the intellectual component of checking it against the Bible. The result was a decision to accept it and “Many of the Jews BELIEVED”

I preached this message today and the audio of that service is available below, the sermon notes and a video clip from the “appearances” show are all on the other side of the break.  Read the rest of this entry »