He was only three years old and knew very little about worship, but he knew more than many adults. As he waited for worship to start, he kept looking around and finally asked, “Mommy, what time does Jesus get here?” Wow! Such profound truths so often come out of the mouths of children.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus is present in our worship. He is present around His table. As He instituted the Lord’s supper in the upper room, He said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luke 22:15).
The repetition of the word desire is a Hebrewism expressing the most intense feeling. This repetition is found in John 3:29, where John describes himself as the friend of the Bridegroom who was coming. “The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.” The Greek literally says, “He rejoices with joy.” It is also found in Acts 4:17, where the Greek says, “Let us threaten them with threats.” Jesus looked at that night around His table and expressed His feeling in the most intense way a Jew could show His feelings, “With desire have I desired.” These words are the preamble to the institution of the Lord’s supper.
Another very significant statement of Jesus in the upper room is His promise to be around the table with us. “I will . . . drink it new with you in My father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). Jesus is with us and we commune with Him.
Jesus is present with us when we sing together. “In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee” (Heb. 2:12). That three year old child might not have seen Him, but He was there as the singing began.
He is there when we pray. Did He not promise that wherever two or three gather to pray that He would be there (Matt. 18:20)? Bowed head cannot see Him, but we can know that as we pray He is in our midst.
The truth is that Jesus “gets here” every time we worship. I shall never understand why some do not want to be in Jesus’ presence every time He assembles with the saints. If we don’t want to be with Him here, why should He want to be with us there? What is your attitude toward worship? Do you “desire with desire” to feast with Him around His table, to sit at His feet to learn more about Him and to sing with Him?
The real question is not what time does Jesus get here, but what time do you get here!