Are We There Yet?

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him” (v15).

“Are we there yet?” The most dreaded four words on any family vacation. Whether it was packing into the Model T, piling in the station wagon, or loading up the minivan, kids have asked this age old question from the backseat. Long before the days of backseat DVD players, this question has plagued parents. As followers of Jesus, we do the same thing. Come on, you know it’s true. When life gets tough, when the world’s falling apart, we wonder when Jesus is coming back. How much worse can it get before He makes His encore? “Are we there yet?”

The Apostle Peter wants us to know that while we might be very close to Christ’s big comeback, but we’re not quite there. Before He returns, Jesus is leaving the door open. He’s leaving it open for those who don’t know Him yet. He’s leaving it open for His followers to tell the world about Him. In the process of telling us about the Lord’s patience, Pete also fondly remembers his old buddy Paul. These two men certainly had there moments. But Rocky reminds his readers of what the former Pharisee wrote to them back in the day. Paul also had plenty to say about Jesus’ patience. Instead of asking when we’re gonna get there, we should see this as an act of divine love. He’s gently but firmly asking us, “Are you there yet?”

Pete says we shouldn’t look at the clock and wonder what’s taking the Lord so long. He said it just back up the page. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (3:9). In both verses, he talks about Jesus’ patience. The Greek word here is makrothumia. It’s a compound term that literally means “long burning.” Various smart folks translate it as long suffering, long waiting, endurance, or perseverance. Jesus’ fuse is long. VERY long. But He will eventually reach a point when it is time to return. A time when He will punish evil once and for all. A time when He will reward those who have place their trust in Him for all He is and all He’s done. Jesus has a very long fuse. But it will eventually burn out. 

The apostle tells us in his prequel that God has demonstrated His incredible patience with us as far back as anyone can remember. Back before the flood, “God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared” (1Pet 3:20). Throughout the Bible, God makes it clear that He’s patient. He’s waiting on us. As a matter of fact, David wrote a song about it. “But You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ps 86:15). He waits. Patiently. Faithfully. Mercifully. Graciously. Lovingly. Faithfully. As God waits, He keeps the door open so that so many more people can come to Him. He patiently asking, “Are you there yet?”

At this point, Pete looks back fondly on his old buddy Paul. “Our beloved brother Paul” (v15). Pete loves him. And so do his readers. But like any two close friends, these two men had their moments. Pete wrote this letter well after Paul got in his face in Antioch. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians almost 20 years before. In Galatians, the man from Tarsus tells the story of his awkward but necessary confrontation of Peter in Syria (Gal 2:11-14). Pete and some other Jewish followers with Jesus treated non-Jewish believers like second-class citizens. Paul wasn’t going to let the former fisherman get away with being a hypocrite, so he got all up in his grill (would you believe me if I told you that’s EXACTLY what the original language tells us?). 

Paul had GREAT love and respect for Peter. In many ways, Paul saw Peter as his pastor. After Jesus mugged him and saved him on the expressway outside of Damascus, the man from Tarsus made a point of meeting the former fisherman back at the home office (Acts 9:27; Gal 1:18). After that first amazing mission trip into Asia Minor, Paul and his partner Barney headed back for another meeting with Pete and the other leaders of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15).

Because of the Incident in Antioch, there are plenty of folks who try to drum up some sort of long-running war between these two men. But Pete and Paul were friends, not enemies. They were brothers, not rivals. As a matter of fact, Paul confronted Peter BECAUSE he loved him. It was out of his great affection. That’s what friends do. If these two men had such a long-running feud, why in the world would Rocky make a point of speaking so lovingly about his fellow apostle? Don’t miss the patience of Jesus at work in their relationship. 

So just what did Paul write about God’s patience? He wrote to his friends in Rome that its’ the perfect example of just how good our God is. “Do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). You see, God doesn’t use punishment as His motivation for our obedience. Is the threat there? Yes. Is the threat real? You betcha. But what really and truly melts the rock-hard human heart is His goodness. His kindness. His patience. His grace. God keeps showering us with His patience and grace. All the time, He keeps asking, “Are you there yet?”