Jedi JesusHalimbawa

Worth the Wait

If you happened to click on this reading plan, you likely need no introduction to my favourite Star Wars character. Yoda is the iconic sage—an odd-looking, little green guy with big ears, who speaks in a raspy voice and switched-up sentence structure. "Much to learn, you still have" is an example of his unique utterance. Yoda's character and his famously flipped one-liners are some of the most memorable and quoted in the history of film.

I was a teenager the last time I saw the original Star Wars trilogy in succession. So, watching it again—this time with my kids—was a fresh opportunity to take it in. I couldn't wait to see Yoda again. Ever the padawan learner, I leaned in, listening hard, attuned and ready to absorb every line of his wisdom.

An hour or so into A New Hope, I thought—Any minute now. He must be coming soon. However, I lost hope for my long-awaited reunion with Yoda after Luke blew up the Deathstar and the credits rolled. Wait—what? Where's Yoda?

During our next family movie night, I was surprised that it took another 47 minutes and 18 seconds into The Empire Strikes Back for Yoda to make his first appearance. And when he finally revealed himself to Luke Skywalker (and my sons) in the swampland of Dagobah, he was nothing of what they expected a great and powerful Jedi Master to be.

When we completed the Star Wars trilogy, I was intrigued by the disproportionate amount of screen time Yoda had compared to his fame and impact on generations. His character and sayings had made such a profound impression on my adolescent brain that I had completely forgotten he wasn't even in the first movie. Thanks to the internet, I found that others were also curious about this fact and noted that Yoda is on screen for less than 18 minutes (only 4%) of the entire original Star Wars trilogy! (Compare that to Chewbacca, who got more than 52 minutes of screen time!) That blew my mind! I mean, this is not some minor supporting character we're talking about here—this is freaking Yoda!

Allow me to indulge my Star Wars-nerd-meets-Bible-nerd-brain for a moment.

When I consider how long we wait for Yoda, how different he is from expected, and how little time we see him on screen, but how far his fame and impact reach, I can't help but see the parallels with Jesus.

There were 400 years of waiting between the Old and New Testaments until Jesus came. And when he finally arrived on the scene, He was nothing of what the people of Israel expected their great and powerful Messiah to be. He was born and raised as a carpenter's son from Nazareth. On earth, He lived until his thirties and His ministry lasted only three short years, but His fame spread and His life impacted the world forevermore! And out of the sixty-six books in the Bible, only four of them chronicle Jesus' life—telling us what He did, where He went, what He said, and how He lived. Yet the Gospels are the foundation that informs our entire way of life as His followers!

God loves to move and show up in the unexpected. This is depicted countless times throughout the Bible, but especially in the life of His son Jesus. May we be open to Him and lean in, listening hard, attuned and ready to absorb every line of His wisdom. Spending just a few minutes with Jesus can impact the rest of your life. He is worth the wait.

Reflect:

What small things or unexpected people has God used to make a big impact in your life?

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your son Jesus to earth in an unexpected way to show us Your love, power, and grace. Jesus, even though I may only get to spend a few minutes with you during this devotion time, help me tune in to what You want to reveal to me today in Your Word. Help me to see the small and unexpected things that can make a big impact in my life and others for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.