"MY HOUR HAS NOT YET COME"

John records in his gospel the account of our Lord’s miracle of feeding the five thousand with five barley loaves and two fish (6:1–13). This event is also recorded in the synoptic gospels, Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:32–44; Luke 9:10–17. However, John presents an additional ending:

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14–15)

Evidently, those who had witnessed His miracle were well aware of Israel’s expectancy of “the Prophet who is to come into the world” as foretold by Moses:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)

 They understood this anticipated Prophet was to be their Messiah. Robertson notes that “the phrase [the Prophet] is peculiar to John, but the idea is in Acts (3:22; 7:37). The people are on the tiptoe of expectation and believe that Jesus is the political Messiah of Pharisaic hope.”1

There is a particular reason that our Lord withdrew from the people who had partaken of His miracle, for He understood that the ultimate objective of His earthly mission had not been inaugurated. And during the interval, John noted that Jesus was divinely protected because on two occasions (John 7:30; 8:20).

The All-Knowing Jesus

There are six instances during His earthly ministry when Jesus acknowledged that the ultimate objective of the Father’s plan had not yet commenced, uttering the unique phrase cited in the apostle John’s gospel account: “My hour has not yet come.”

The first instance was at the wedding feast in Cana when Jesus’ mother informed Him that the wine had run out. His reply was “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). By this He meant that the hour for manifesting Himself as Messiah had not yet come.2

Jesus understood the timetable of His earthly mission and when His unbelieving half-brothers enticed Him to reveal Himself at the Feast of Booths, He instructed them:

“Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” (John 7:8)

But after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (John 12:9-11), Jesus knew that the Father’s plan had progressed to the next phase, evidenced by His statement to Andrew and Philip: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23). This occurred on the first day of what has come to be known as His Passion Week. John further writes:

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would 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) [Emphasis added]

His Mission of Eternal Life 

Then during His Upper Room Discourse (John 14—17) Jesus revealed that His hour has come to execute the divine plan and its specific objective:

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.” (John 17:1–2) [Emphasis added]

The culmination of our Lord’s earthly mission, His hour, was not a self-serving moment in world history, but a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the provision of eternal life for all mankind. For Scripture proclaims:

He [God, the Father] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Scripture also states:

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)

 Today Is Our Hour

And just as the Lord Jesus Christ had His hour in human history, we also have an hour within the timeline of our lives to obediently fulfill the mission God has given to us. Our lives can also glorify the Father, but in order to do so, we must follow His directives:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Also, that we “do not sin” (Psalm 4:4) and to avoid the occasion of sin as the Psalmist advises the believer:

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

This will enable us to follow the apostle Paul’s directive:

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

The writer of Hebrews emphasized the importance of observing Paul’s instruction:

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)

For Christians in the 21^st Century, we must realize that our hour is now, today!

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[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), John 6:14.

[2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1682 note.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

WHAT'S IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LEGACY?

  That the generation to come might know,

even the children yet to be born,

That they may arise and tell them to their children,

That they should put their confidence in God

And not forget the works of God,

  But keep His commandments (Psalm 78:6–7)

 It is instructive to note the various age groups of people mentioned throughout Scripture. Concerning children, Jesus advised His disciples to “Permit the children to come to Me; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). Also recorded of our Lord, that at twelve years of age “The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom” (Luke 2:40). John discussed the fathers (adults) and children who know God the Father; and how young men have overcome the evil one, because they are spiritually “strong and the word of God abides in you” (1 John 2:13–14).

Attention is also given to those of old age. Luke mentions the prophetess, Anna, who was advanced in years—eighty-four years old—as an example for all of us, no matter what our age may happen to be.

She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:37–38)

It was fitting for Anna at the time in which she lived to proclaim Jesus Christ as Israel’s hope for His return as their Messiah. Her legacy is recorded eternally in Scripture for all believers to observe.

This Generation

David, who God declared to be “a man after My heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22; cf. 1 Samuel 13:14), wrote pertinent advice on this matter of legacy:

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:17–18)

David had the same moral failings as all mankind, yet he understood the importance of declaring to the next generation the eternal truth and power of the almighty God. The result of David’s endeavor is clearly evident by the wisdom and writings of his son, Solomon (1 Kings 4:29–24).

Note an example of Solomon’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes, as he begins chapter twelve with a stark exhortation to those who are young:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

This warning is to those believers who have ignored and neglected the study of God’s Word—never having matured in their Christian life. Now when they approach their advanced years they have no delight in the remaining days of their lives. And if they have waited until their old age to seek out God’s knowledge, they may also suffer great regret for all the wasted years, when they could have been building a lasting legacy for their loved ones.

Observe the urgency of the apostle Paul’s directive to all believers concerning these evil days in which we live:

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15–16)

Our Legacy

Not only should be aware that these are evil days, but that our days are numbered by God, as Job proclaimed: “Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” (Job 14:5; cf. 12:10; Luke 12:20)

 Moses noted the fleeting nature of our lives and that at the end of our time on earth we die:

  As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,

Or if due to strength, eighty years,

Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;

  For soon it is gone and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10; cf. Psalm 73:24)

What will be the substance of our legacy—yours and mine? Will it have an emphasis upon the eternality of God’s truth? Will our loved ones readily identify our lives as having been Christ-centered? Will there be others who we have ensured that they are snatched out of the fires of hell (Jude 23)?

We should be determined not to rest until our loved ones and those in the sphere of our influence have heard the gospel and believed in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:36). For if “we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22), our legacy will be a godly witness for generations to come.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi