The Fullness of Time

The Fullness of Time.  An African gentleman at a Christian conference on the African Continent told a joke to a cosmopolitan group of Africans, Europeans, and Americans: “In America, you say, ‘Wait a second.’ In Europe, you say, ‘Wait a minute.’ In Africa, we just say, ‘Wait.’” His point was immediately received with light-hearted laughter, especially since we started the conference an hour late. Unilateral punctuality is not a highly held value in the global south. Unplanned flexibility is not a highly held value in the global north.

Not only is time culturally perceived, but it is also culturally assumed of others. Europeans and Americans often view the stereotype of African lateness as offensive. Africans often view the stereotype of European and American strictness as offensive. In truth, each culture contains a mixture of presumptions and unspoken moral categories. There is always something to admire in another culture and something to outgrow in one’s own culture.

Added to the linear calculation of time, and the abstract recognition of timeliness of certain seasons, the experience of time is socially interpreted as full or empty. But as with all the modalities and expressions of time, God is above all. It is he who starts time, counts time, tells time, and decides time. God the Father announced the fullness of time for Jesus’ incarnation. “But when the fullness of time (chronos) had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).

All in all, the fullness of time is a nuanced phrase that signaled the end of the epoch of God’s law through Moses and the beginning of the epoch of God’s grace through Christ. This great switch in time from law to grace culminated with the birth of Christ, correlating with the suitability in the Mediterranean Rim cultures for the timeliness of Christ’s arrival. Andreas Kostenberger (The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown, p. xvii) highlights four characteristics that made the first century ideal for Christian expansion. (1) Roman Peace (27 bc -180 ad), militarily imposed, brought a roughly 200-year repression of large-scale war. (2) Roman Roads, which were engineered for the Roman Army, also opened easy trade and travel routes for missionaries. (3) The Greek Language, imposed during the massive conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 bc), Rome left intact when it conquered Greece, assimilating Greek culture into its political system. (4) A widespread Jewish Messianic Expectation, although steeped in misunderstanding, pressed the Jewish people to look for Messiah during their occupation.

Times or Seasons

Times or Seasons.  Sharing terms, but not definitions, that even the philosophers and astrologers used, the New Testament references time in three main ways with three main vocabulary words: (1) chronological time or the linear sequence of measurable minutes [chronos, 54x], (2) seasonal time or the timeliness of an abstract opportunity as the right time [kairos, 84x], and (3) eternal time or the eschatological ages when time merges with timelessness [aionios 71x]. It is, therefore, not a surprise that these three terms do not all appear in any singular Bible verse.

The ancients seemed more comfortable than moderns in combining mathematics, mysticism, and myth to the idea of time. As such, they were nearly unanimous in attributing the three modes of time to three deities: (1) Saturn controlled quantitative, homogeneous, secular time [chronos], (2) Uranus controlled qualitative, heterogeneous, seasonal time [kairos], and (3) Neptune controlled unbounded, sacred or eternal time [aion]  (credit: Matthew D. Segall, “Minding Time,” Footnotes2Plato.com). Nevertheless, the New Testament presents unapologetically that Jesus is the embodiment, fulfillment, and controller of all three modes of time.

Here are three examples of Jesus’ lordship over time: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time (kairos), and in the age to come eternal life (aionios)” (Luke 18:29-30). “So the crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever (aionios). How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘The light is among you for a little while longer (chronos). Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (John 12:34-35). The disciples asked the risen Christ, “Lord, will you at this time (chronos) restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6), Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times (chronos) or seasons (kairos) that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Clearly, answers exist to the disciples’ time question, but access has been temporarily denied in lieu of a more immediate concern, namely, their commission. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Leave time and timing to me; you go proclaim the gospel.

The Hour Has Come

The Hour Has Come.  Robert Lamm’s intentionally quirky song, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is,” became the third straight Top Ten hit for the ascendant band Chicago in 1970. Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care (about time)? You know, I can’t imagine why (oh no, no) we’ve all got time enough to cry. But articulating a comprehensive understanding of time predates pop music by at least 4,000 years. Time has occupied a large space in the lessons of philosophers, mathematicians, and theologians, too.

What is time? Is it quantitatively measured or qualitatively perceived? Is time a mathematical unit, a universal principle, or an eternal characteristic? St. Augustine (c. 400 ad) wrote playfully in his classic work, Confessions (Book 11, Chapter 3) about the concept of time. “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know; if I wish to explain it to one who asks, I know not.”

Time is confusing, but Jesus’ relationship to time is fascinating. He is Lord over time, not subject to time, yet he was patient concerning time. Christ speaks frequently, especially in the Gospel of John, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4), “the hour is coming” (John 4:21), “my time has not yet come” (John 7:6). No other human exercises sovereignty over time (i.e., my hour) yet even still Jesus yields to the Father’s timing, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32).

After ten examples to the contrary, Jesus switches his phraseology starting at John 12:23 from the future to the present/past, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (John 12:27-28a). “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

What was the reason for his time change? Did Jesus’ life run out of sand or did Jesus recognize the arrival of his opportune season? At this pinnacle moment, though Jesus’ relationship to time was experienced as a chronological event that split history into before or after, his hour was primarily a Christological purpose fulfilled. In other words, it was Christ’s moment (kairos) more than his minute (chronos) that had arrived. This is why the Father could answer Jesus’ prayer with an audible voice, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (John 12:28b). Even though Jesus had not yet been crucified in time (chronos), he had faithfully arrived at the season (kairos) of redemption. Finally, fatally reaching Jerusalem fulfilled his incarnation’s purpose (kairos). All that was left to do was the shouting, so to speak (chronos).

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part Three)

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part Three) 

Fulfillment Formula #7 (Matt. 12:17 + Isa. 42:1)

“And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles’” (Matt. 12:18-21).

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law” (Isa. 42:1-4).

Fulfillment Formula #8 (Matt. 13:35 + Psa. 78:2)

“All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world’” (Matt. 13:34-35).

“Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old” (Psa. 78:1-2).

Fulfillment Formula #9 (Matt. 21:5 + Zech. 9:9)

"Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.’ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’” (Matt. 21:2-5).

^“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).

Fulfillment Formula #10 (Matt. 27:9 + Zech. 11:12)

“Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me” (Matt. 27:9-10).

“Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter” (Zech. 11:12-13).

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part Two)

 To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part Two)

Fulfillment Formula #3 (Matt. 2:18 + Jer. 31:15)

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more’” (Matt. 2:16-18).

“Thus says the Lord: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more’” (Jer. 31:15).

Fulfillment Formula #4 (Matt. 2:23 + Isa. 11:1)

“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead. And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” (Matt. 2:20-23).

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch [Nazarene, means Branch] from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa. 11:1).

Fulfillment Formula #5 (Matt. 4:15 + Isa. 9:1)

“And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned’” (Matt. 4:13-16).

“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Isa. 9:1-2).

Fulfillment Formula #6 (Matt. 8:17 + Isa. 53:4)

“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases’” (Matt. 8:16-17).

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isa. 53:4).

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part One)

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part One).  Each of the four gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—draw from roughly the same content of Jesus’ life, ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection, but each one writes to a distinct audience from a distinct perspective with a distinct goal. Matthew writes to the Jews from an Old Testament fulfillment perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Messianic King. Mark writes to the Romans from an action and accomplishment perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Divine Lord who came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many. Luke writes to the Greeks from an outsiders’ perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Son of Man who came to seek and save the lost. John writes to the whole world from a theological perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Son of God who possesses and grants eternal life to all who believe.

Zeroing in on The Gospel According to Matthew, the apostle uses at least twenty-four direct Old Testament promises or descriptions that have been exclusively fulfilled in Jesus Christ. By viewing Jesus through the Old Testament, one can and must recognize him as the Messiah. “Virtually every significant event of Jesus’ life is shown to fulfill Scripture” (Andreas Kostenberger, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown, p. 214). Of those examples, ten follow a certain “fulfillment formula” that alerts the reader of Matthew’s cumulative biblical evidence supporting the singular conclusion that Jesus is King. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 1:22).

Fulfillment Formula #1 (Matt. 1:23 + Isa. 7:14)

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’ which means, God with us” (Matt. 1:20-23).

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).

Fulfillment Formula #2 (Matt. 2:15 + Hos. 11:1)

“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matt. 2:13-15).

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos. 11:1).

They Went Out From Us

They Went Out From Us.  I used to suspect that church membership was wise though secondary, an organizational help but not necessarily a biblical concept. The New Testament convinced me that I was wrong, not by a particular verse, but by a network of verses that—when put together—formed the baseline of the normality of membership. A churchless Christian was an anomaly, an ember separated from the fire, and an easy target for the enemy. The New Testament simply assumes membership without explicitly demanding it.

Membership seemed so common in the early church that it never needed a formal defense or an extended explanation, thus there are no verses that codify it. (Though one verse at least strongly rebukes those who minimize the value of meeting together as a church, due to social pressure and threatened persecution: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some” [Heb. 10:25].) Yet, there are several verses that demand the removal of membership due to disbelief or unrepentance. Like detecting the existence of a black hole by its shadow when it eclipses another star, one can detect the existence of membership by its shadow when it is revoked. For instance, the Apostle John exposed apostasy within the congregations under his care: “Many antichrists have come” (1 John 2:18). Therefore, “they went out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19). “They” and “us” requires an official designation; “from” and “of” requires congregational belonging. Believing in Christ clearly precedes belonging to the church. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting” (2 John 10). John implied a meaningful membership.

Another example of revoking membership required an entire chapter from Paul (1 Corinthians 5). Different than in John’s epistles, expulsion due to heresy, Paul required expulsion due to unrepentance. “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans” (1 Cor. 5:1). “Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty” (1 Cor. 5:11). “Purge the evil person from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13). Thankfully, this expelled person seems to have repented and that his membership was happily reinstated: “You were grieved into repenting” (2 Cor. 7:9). More generally, yet consistent with both above examples, is Titus 3:10, “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”

Membership was a voluntary necessity that could be revoked or refused. Membership helped the congregation’s leadership to identify those who represented Jesus in their specific locality. Membership formed a church’s roster. From within the membership, other subgroups were identified, such as widows who qualified for church support (1 Tim. 5:16). ”Let a widow be enrolled if …” (1 Tim. 5:9), “but refuse to enroll younger widows” (1 Tim. 5:11). Sub-rosters argue strongly for the existence of a main roster. Thus, membership occupied a space that was less than obligatory, but more than optional. The result was this: any mature Christian who wanted to grow their Christian witness and live the Christian life would join a church.