It really doesn’t matter how gifted you are, how much education you have received, how close to God you are, or how much wisdom and insight you have.
Jesus was the most gifted person on the planet. He was closer to God than anyone else. There was no one who had a better understanding of the Scriptures. There was no one on earth who was more anointed or better prepared for ministry, and yet, He submitted to leaders (His parents) who were not as anointed, who were not as gifted, who were not as close to God, and who did not have the spiritual wisdom or insight that He had.
And God blessed Jesus as a result.
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”—Luke 2:52 (NLT)
Would Jesus’ ministry have been as effective if He had not returned home with His parents after they found Him in the temple “going about His Father’s business” when He was 12 years old? What if He had rejected their urgings to come back with them to Nazareth, and instead just stayed in Jerusalem and launched His ministry at that time?
Looking back now in hindsight, we know that it was not God’s time for Jesus to begin His ministry at age 12. In God’s perfect timing, when everything was in place, and John the Baptist had prepared the way for Him, Jesus launched His ministry later, at age 30.
Scripture clearly tells us that it is very important to wait for God’s timing before launching into our calling. We may have been anointed. We may have been called. We may have had amazing supernatural experiences that foretold a great ministry for us, but if we launch out prematurely, we can easily squander our inheritance too early and wash out in the end.
“An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.”—Proverbs 20:21 (NIV)
This is the tragedy of the Prodigal son in Luke 15. Rather than waiting to be commissioned and sent out by the authority over him, the younger son demanded his inheritance early. After granting his request, the father watched his son leave the protection and guidance of his home and venture out to enter into what he thought would be the fulfillment of his life’s purpose. The actual result was that he spent his inheritance too early. In the end he was reduced to begging.
When he hit rock bottom and found himself envying the pigs he was feeding, the son took a hard look at himself and realized how foolish he had been. There was nothing left for him to do but to return in shame to his father and hope that his father would take him back as a servant.
It’s interesting to see that the son finally realized that his choices did not just affect him, but that he had sinned against God and had done his father wrong (Luke 15:18). It is the same with anyone who refuses to submit to authorities and wait for their commissioning to be sent out. Rebellion is not a harmless choice. It is a sin that hurts people and offends God.
When the prodigal son returned, his father accepted him with open arms and received him back into his family with celebration. He was received with love back into his former place in the family as a son.
However, his inheritance was gone. It had already been spent. Although his lost relationship with his father may have been fully restored, it was not possible to restore the inheritance. It had been claimed too early, and once spent, it was gone. There was no more to be restored to this son. There was no chance for him to start over and do things right. He had one chance to do it right. When he made the wrong choice, he lost it all.
“Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of the great; For it is better that he say to you, ‘Come up here,’ Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.”—Proverbs 25:6-7 (NKJV)
“When Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit down at the place of honor in case someone more important than you was invited by the host. Then the host who invited both of you would come to you and say, ‘Give this person your place.’ In disgrace, you would have to take the place of least honor. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher,’ and you will be honored in the presence of everyone who eats with you. Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.’”— Luke 14:7-11 (ISV)
