Trinity Baptist Church

Obvious Truths from Obscure Scriptures

The Number of the Hours

John 11:9

 

One of the best-known stories in the New Testament is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  It is found in John 11.

 

The story has several major players.  First is Lazarus.  He is a critically ill man who lives in the village of Bethany and is a close friend of the Lord Jesus.

 

The story also introduces us to the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  As the condition of their brother worsens, they send word to Jesus telling Him of Lazarus’s illness and requesting that He come.

 

The third set of characters in the story is the disciples.  Verse 7 tells us they were apprehensive about going to Judea because there had been an assassination attempt on the Lord and they believe it in His and their best interests not to return.

 

But for those of us who are familiar with the story, we know Jesus does go to Bethany and by the time He arrives Lazarus has died.  But in a mighty show of the power of God, Jesus raises him from the dead.

 

Once again we see our pattern as we see to discover some obvious truths from obscure scriptures.  The big picture tells us of the power of God, even over death.  God is never late. He is right on time. You can trust Him.

 

But once again, nestled among the details, we find a little nugget that is easy to read over or pay little attention to because of its apparent insignificance.  But I want to draw your attention for a few moments today to the opening phrase of verse 9.

 

Jesus has announced His intention to return to Judea and, because of the attempt on His life, the disciples have questioned the wisdom of that decision.  Notice what Jesus ways.

 

Verse 9

 

What did Christ mean by these word and what are the obvious truths from this obscure Scripture?  Before we see the truths, it will help us to understand what Christ meant when He referred to there being twelve hours in the day.

 

That phrase, “twelve hours in the day” was a common reference to an ordinary Jewish workday.  It was a simple reference to the daylight hours of a 24 hour day.  It didn’t have to be precise 12 hour periods of 60 minutes each.  It simply referred to the daylight hours extending from morning to evening.

 

But is that all He was saying?  Is Jesus merely speaking of a normal Jewish work day that is governed by the light of the sun, or is He speaking of some deeper spiritual truth that should be obvious to us in light of the context?

 

Jesus had just announced His intention of returning to Judea. He had announced His intention to return to a place that His disciples believed not only put His life in danger but their lives as well.

 

It was as if the disciples believed that the length of Christ’s life and their lives would ultimately be determined by the actions of men rather than by the sovereign plan of God. Their fear had to be addressed.

 

And that’s exactly what Jesus did in verse 9 when he references this Jewish twelve-hour workday.  In reality,  He’s talking about the specific amount of time that God allotted to each man to serve Him and to accomplish His purposes.

 

Each one of us only have so much time, or as the verse explains, so much light that has been given us by God.  The days of our lives are in God’s hands and that’s all we have on this earth.

 

Now, since there are only “twelve hours in the day”, how then should we live in order to take full advantage of those hours?

 

As always, we find our example in the Lord and His earthly life.  He didn’t just spout off these trite little sayings and expect His followers to comprehend and obey them.  He lived them out in front of them, and I can promise you, never was there a man who understood more fully that there were twelve hours in the day.

 

After all, He created that day.  He was there on the fourth day when God sai, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

He was the One who made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. It was He Who set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And when He stepped back and looked it all over, He saw that it was good.

 

So when Jesus declares to His disciples, “Are there not twelve hours in the day”, you can mark it down big and plain, He knows what He’s talking about!

 

But the disciples aren’t thinking in those terms.  They’re thinking about a man for whom they care very deeply who has been threatened and is in danger.  And no doubt they were tickled when Jesus, even though He knew of Lazarus being sick, didn’t move for two days.

 

“Maybe He’s finally come to His senses!”  But then comes the day when He announces He’s going to Judea.  And in so many words, they say, “Are you crazy?  Don’t you remember what just happened there?  They’re out to kill you!”

 

And it was then that Jesus turned upon the twelve, with a look which they never would forget, and said to them, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?"

 

What does that statement tell us about Jesus and what do we learn about how we are to live?

 

First, see

 

 

 

 

At first glance, there seems to be a contradiction in Christ’s words and deeds.  In fact, if you were to place the New Testament in the hands of someone completely unfamiliar with it, they would for the first time hear Jesus saying as a twelve year-old boy in the Temple, “I must be about my Father’s business”.

 

Then what follows is an 18 year period of time with no activity at all.  We are told absolutely nothing of those 18 years except that Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

 

Then when He makes His next appearance and begins His earthly ministry, there does not seem to be any urgency or direction to His activities.  He just seems to wander around from village to village spontaneously ministering to those He happens to interact with.

 

Never was there a career that gave so little evidence of having a plan or direction.  His actions seem almost cavalier.  His words seem incidental.  He just seems to roll with the punches and adapt to the circumstances.  And all this in spite of the fact that He spoke often of having to go to Jerusalem and die.

Outwardly there seems to be so little evidence in word or deed of any intensity at all.

 

But when we begin to explore the inner life of Christ we are convinced differently as it becomes evident through the spontaneity of deed and random interactions there is a singular purpose. When studied as a whole, His life demonstrates that He was in fact, about the Father’s business.

 

And when outwardly, the face of Jesus is finally set toward Jerusalem, the freedom of words and deeds and sweet luxury of no apparent agenda becomes brutally clear.

 

In fact, I think the disciples never recognized the real goal or purpose of the ministry of Jesus until He set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem. Before that, they thought in earthly terms.  It was all about politics and power and earthly kingdoms and takeovers.  Before that, they were always offering suggestions and recommendations and their opinions.

 

See it here with Lazarus.  “We can’t go to Judea.  It’s foolishness!”  But once His face was set, they offered them no more. We read about them being amazed at what He said and did.  They were afraid.  They were hesitant.  They were amazed at the eagerness of Jesus.  It must have appeared to them that He had a death wish.

 

And the reason behind that commitment we find in this simple statement that there are only twelve hours in the day.

 

Before His birth, in His preexistent life, there had been no rising or setting of the sun. As Eternal God involved in the creation of the world.  There was no confinement of time and space.  After His death, in the life beyond the grave, the day would be endless, for "there is no night there."

 

But while he was here on earth, with a mighty work to do and to get finished before His hands were nailed to a cross, Christ was energized by this simple thought of the limitation of time.

Hear it as He says, "I must work the works of My Father while it is day. The night is coming when no man can work."

 

A day at its longest is such a little space of time.  How quickly the sunset comes!  It is an amazing thing to consider that the God Who created time felt the shortness of time.  He was inspired and motivated by it.  It was in the fullness of time that He first made His earthly appearance.

 

It was because there are only twelve hours in the day that He must be about His Father’s business.  It was because sunset quickly approaches that he steadfastly set His face toward Jerusalem.  It was because the hours were drawing to an end that He would say to Judas, “What you must do, do quickly!”

 

We do all we can to avoid the end of time and lengthen the days and extend our life, but Christ looked time full in the face.  He embraced it and engaged it and milked every moment of its value, all because He understood there are but twelve hours in the day.

 

And what about you? Have you lived long enough and experienced enough to understand there are but twelve hours in the day? How do you use the brief time God has granted to you?  DO you ever give any thought to the fact that one of these days your life will be over and you’ll stand to give an account to God for what you’ve done or do you live your life as though the sun will never set?

 

There are but twelve hours in the day, and it will be sunset before you know it. Get done what God has sent you here to do.

I love the old anonymous poem that says,

 

If you have hard work to do,

Do it now.

Today the skies are clear and blue,

Tomorrow clouds may come in view,

Yesterday is not for you;

Do it now.

 

If you have a song to sing,

Sing it now.

Let the notes of gladness ring

Clear as song of bird in spring;

Let every day some music bring;

Sing it now.

 

If you have kind words to say,

Say them now.

Tomorrow may not come your way,

Do a kindness while you may,

Loved ones will not always stay;

Say them now.

 

If you have smile to show,

Show it now.

Make hearts happy, roses grow,

Let the friends around you know

The love you have before they go;

Show it now.

 

Why not make a fresh commitment, because they are but twelve hours in the day, to use them for the glory of God.

 

Next, notice

 

 

 

It was when the disciples were trying to alarm Him that Jesus silenced their suggestions with this comment.  "Master," they said, "you need to reconsider.  It’s too dangerous to go to Bethany.  Don’t you remember how you were almost stoned on your last visit?  They’re still there!”

 

And it was then, to silence their fears that Jesus asked, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" What did He mean? From where did this confidence come?

 

It came from His understanding that both the dawn and the sunset of His life were in the hands of God and no Jew with a stone was going to be successful in taking out the Rock of Ages before it was time for Him to die!

 

And the same is true for you!  Listen:  If you want something to steady you in the uncharted waters of life, just remember that until the curfew of God rings out, you cannot die.  He is the Anchor of your soul.  You are Divinely cared for.  You are supernaturally guarded.  The days of your life are in the hands of God.

 

Listen:  Allstate doesn’t have a clue what it means to be in good hands!  The thing that steeled the will of Christ to go to Bethany was His unflinching confidence in the God Who held His days.  That’s what made His so steady and fearless and braced Him for everything that came His way.  God was in control!

 

 

 

When Dr. David Livingstone was in the heart of Africa, he wrote a memorable sentence in his diary. He was ill and far away from any friend, and he was deserted by his medicine-carrier. But he was willing to go anywhere provided it was forward, and what he traced with a trembling hand was this: "I am immortal until my work is done."

 

That was the faith of Paul and Peter and the early disciples.  That was the faith of countless martyrs like Polycarp who praised God as he burned at the stake for counting him worthy to die for Christ.  They had caught the fearless spirit of the Master who knew there were but twelve hours in the day.

 

There is nothing in life that can strengthen a man more than coming to understand that his steps are ordered by God.  There is a quiet courage that is unmistakable in that one who is certain he is led by God.

 

And if God has ordered the days, then God has ordered the assignment of the days.  If we are to believe our days are fixed, then we must also accept the fact that we are here for a purpose.  And if God has given the days and the purpose, then we do well to fulfill that purpose.

 

And I declare to you that when you are using your God-given days to fulfill the God-ordained purpose of your life no harm can touch you that is outside of God’s will, and there is no power in death until God gives the Word.

 

If a man will simply take care of his god-given task, then that man can have every confidence that God will take care of Him.

How can we be sure?  It is because there are twelve hours in the day.  It doesn’t matter what kind of dark clouds may appear at noon, it makes no difference what kind of circumstances may block the sun from shining, nothing changes when the sun sets and the stars come out to tell us that the day is spent.

 

It may not look like its daytime.  You may not feel the radiance of the sun.  You may doubt in your own spirit that the sun is still in the sky.  But just know this:  Jesus said, “There are twelve hours in the day.”  And the sun’s not going down until the time He designated.

 

Finally see

 

 

Never was there a man as busy and pressed upon as was Jesus Christ, and yet we find in Him this amaing calmness.

 

You may think you are busy and constantly being called upon, but consider the life of Christ.  Some of us could hardly make it without a little break in the day.  We slip off to the break room for a little peace and quiet, maybe a soft drink and bag of peanuts.

 

Some can’t make it without their prescription drugs to steady their nerves and calm their emotions.  Many are like this young lady:

 

Dramamine

 

 

 

But Jesus never got away.  He tried to but everywhere he went, people followed.  Every day was crowded with crowds, and not pretty crowds either.  It was the derelicts and throw-aways of society.  It was the sick and maimed and those needing miracles and people with sick children and dying friend.

 

There was no time to eat and relax.  First He was teaching, then He was healing, then confronting some attack by an opponent.  Every day was a constant mix of emotion and crowds and stress and ministry.

 

And yet through it all, with all its stir and movement, there is this unbelievable calm upon the heart of Christ.  He is never frustrated.  He is never out of control.  He is never at a loss for what to do.  He never overreacts or doesn’t do the right thing.

 

He is quick to respond to every need.  There was an absolute peace in the face of all that was riotous and down in the depths of that peace was the thought of the twelve hours in the day.  Christ knew that if God had given Him twelve hours' work, God would give Him the twelve hours to do it in. All that God calls us to and all that love demands is fitted with perfect wisdom into the twelve hours of the day.

 

Therefore, stay calm.  You don’t have to nervous and fussy.  You don’t have to brush people aside and be rude.  There’s plenty of time to give a smile or take a nap.  There is no time to squander, but there is time enough, after all, are there not twelve hours in the day?

 

Let’s pray.