By Editor Bob Terry
Is there anything more exciting than a child’s wide-eyed, openmouthed, transfixed gaze at a sparkling Christmas tree with brightly wrapped presents stacked around its trunk? And who has not seen the awe of the moment give way to the impulsive drive of childhood to tear into the presents beneath the tree to see what hopes will be fulfilled?
Against that drive for immediate gratification stands the discipline of the adult who reminds that every good thing does not come immediately. Sometimes one has to wait. In this case, the child has to wait until that appointed hour when the family gathers to express its love for one another through the giving and receiving of gifts.
The time between the promise of the Christmas tree and the fulfillment of hopes by opening presents can be agony for the child. Living in the in-between time is always hard for children. It is a time filled with questions like when and why. When will the time come? Why not now?
Those are the same questions asked by the people of God as they waited for the coming of a Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise to Father Abraham that through his descendents, all the world would be blessed.
For centuries, the Jewish people lived in an in-between time, and like the child at Christmas, they repeatedly asked when the Messiah would come and why didn’t He come now. Amid the victories of King David, they asked if this were the time of the Messiah. From the despair of captivity, they cried for the Promised One and His deliverance.
During the in-between time, the Jews wrestled with their understanding of God and with their faithfulness to His commands. At times, their pain was so great some wondered if God had abandoned them. Some even concluded the in-between time was so long that it proved the promise to Abraham was a lie.
It is hard to live in the in-between time.
But in the “fullness of time,” the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The apostle John declared, “We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This Word made flesh came to bless mankind. The Bible affirms that, “[T]o all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Theologians call this the Incarnation. That is when the Word that was with God and that was God and was in the beginning with God (John 1:1–2) took on human flesh and identity as Jesus of Nazareth. Of Him, the apostle John wrote, “[T]he law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus” (v. 17).
John the Baptist called Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (v. 29).
The struggles of living in the in-between time pale with the fulfillment of God’s ancient promise to bless all the world through the seed of Abraham. Through faith in Christ, those who once were far off could now become the children of God.
On this side of the cross, Christians still live in an in-between time. With sins forgiven by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, we await the consummation of our faith — the return of our Lord.
Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us. He promised that He would come again “that where I am, you may be also” (John 14:3). As Jesus ascended into the sky following His resurrection and appearance to the disciples, the angels affirmed, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
Through the ages, the church has taught that Jesus is coming again.
But it is hard to live in the in-between time. Like a child at Christmas, we ask when and why not now. Like those in days past, we struggle with our understanding of God and with obedience to His commands. Amid disappointment and despair, some wonder if the story of salvation is some kind of cosmic hoax. Some argue there will be no return. Some even say there is no God.
How familiar the sounds must be to God’s ears. They just prove that it is hard to live in the in-between time.
Above all human understanding, God remains faithful. The One who promised to bless all the world through the descendents of Abraham is the same One who promised that Jesus is coming again. The One who fulfilled the promise to Abraham through the birth of the Jesus, which we celebrate this season of the year, is the One who will keep the promise of our Lord’s return.
When? No one knows. Jesus Himself said it is a secret known only to the Father. Why not now? Who can explain? God’s ways are not the ways of man. But this one thing we know. Jesus is coming again. He promised that He would. The angels affirmed that He would. The church has always taught that He would. We believe that Jesus is coming again.
Until then, we live in the in-between time, that time between promise and fulfillment. We cling to the promise and trust in the name of the only begotten Son of God — Jesus of Nazareth. And we live with the discipline of the adult who reminds the child at Christmas that some things are worth waiting for.
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