Don Stewart :: Why Did Jesus Come at That Particular Time in History?

Why Did Jesus Come at That Particular Time in History?

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ – Question 2

The question often comes up as to why Jesus came to earth at the specific time that He did. Why didn’t He come at another time that perhaps could have been better suited to spread the message? Could Jesus have picked a better time to arrive in history? Was there any special reason He came when He did? The Bible tells us the following.

He Came in the Fullness of Time

The Bible is clear that Jesus came at the prescribed time. Paul told the Galatians that Christ came in the “fullness of time.” He said,

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4, 5 NASB)

Jesus Christ came at the perfect time.

His Coming Had Been Predicted

His coming had been predicted in the Old Testament. Indeed, Jesus denounced the people for not knowing the time of His coming. In the Gospel of Luke, we read the following account of Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem for their rejection of Him:

When Jesus came closer and could see Jerusalem, he cried and said: It is too bad that today your people don’t know what will bring them peace! Now it is hidden from them. Jerusalem, the time will come when your enemies will build walls around you to attack you. Armies will surround you and close in on you from every side. They will level you to the ground and kill your people. Not one stone in your buildings will be left on top of another. This will happen because you did not see that God had come to save you. (Luke 19:41-44 CEV)

All the signs had been given, the prophecies fulfilled regarding His coming, yet the people still rejected Him. They were held responsible for their unbelief.

There Is Nothing Explicitly Stated as to Why He Came at That Time

Though everything indicates that Jesus came according to God’s schedule, nothing is said in Scripture about why He chose that particular time in history. God is silent on that matter except to say it was at the perfect time. To assume things would be different if instead He had chosen to come in the twenty-first century is untrue.

Twenty-first century humanity has sufficient reason to believe in Jesus. The fact that He chose to come some two thousand years ago does not change the fact that He came and fulfilled that which the Bible had predicted.

The evidence is clear: God the Son has come to our earth in the Person of Jesus Christ. We who are living today are also held responsible to respond to His claims. Indeed, we have no excuse.

Summary – Question 2
Why Did Jesus Come at That Particular Time in History?

There is nothing in Scripture which specifically tells us as to why God the Son came at that particular time in history. We can, however, make a few observations about the time of His coming.

The Bible says that Jesus came into our world “in the fullness of time” in God’s program. In other words, it was the perfect time, as far as God the Father was concerned, to send His Son into our world.

His coming had been clearly predicted in the Old Testament. Since the specific prophecies were recorded in their Scripture, the people should have been waiting for One to come along who would fulfill these predictions. Jesus had all of the credentials of the Messiah. Though He presented Himself to the people as the Promised One, they still rejected Him. Jesus chastised then for not being ready for His appearing.

Other than that the Bible is silent on the matter. For reasons known only to God, He picked that time in history to send His Son. The fact that He came some two thousand years ago does not give modern day humanity an excuse for not accepting Him. Like those in Jesus’ time, the evidence of who He is, as well as what He did, is clear for all to see. We today, like those in His day, have no excuse.