9/28/2022 - "You're too late."

“You’re too late.” There are many occasions where you may have heard those disappointing words. If you’ve rushed through a subway turnstile and across the platform just as the train’s door closes; you’ve heard it. Or stood in line for an event ticket just to see the ‘sold-out’ sign posted. Or needing milk for the midnight feeding and the store workers who just locked the doors respond to your pleas; “can’t, we closed out the registers, we open at 6am”. “You’re too late”. Jesus was told that once. He was on his way to heal the daughter of a town’s synagogue leader. Along the way he was halted by a woman who by faith touched Jesus’ garment and was healed. He stopped, maybe 5 or 10 minutes to bless her when he was interrupted by a messenger from the leader’s house. “You’re too late, she’s dead”. Another time Jesus showed up at the wake of his friend Lazarus too late to say his goodbyes, too late to heal him. And Lazarus’ sister Martha scolded Jesus: “if you had only been here earlier he wouldn’t have died”. In other words, “Jesus, you’re too late”. Maybe you’ve never said it, but you’ve probably thought it. You’ve prayed and it went from bad to worse. Now it’s too late. To the synagogue leader, Martha and to me and you Jesus offers the same word of peace: “just believe”. (Mark 5:36/John 11:26) Jesus is never too late to accomplish glory in your “bad to worse” moments.

- PK