What is eleventh hour? The eleventh hour can be defined as the last possible time before it is too late, or the last possible moment for doing something. Things that happen at the eleventh hour occur just in the nick of time, right before it’s too late. Other words for eleventh hour are: high time, just in time, last minute, nick of time, the last moment, zero hour, etc.
The term “Eleventh Hour” is an idiomatic expression used to describe a last-minute opportunity or a critical moment just before a deadline. It was a phrase first introduced by Jesus Christ as He explained how the grace and the just nature of God works for men.
The primary biblical reference to the “Eleventh Hour” is found in Matthew 20:1-16. In this parable, Jesus mentioned that a landowner went out to hire labourers for his vineyard at various times throughout the day. The landowner goes out early in the morning to hire the first workers at about 6:00am, and agreed to pay them a denarius for the whole day. He then went out again at the third (09:00), sixth (12:00), ninth (15:00), and eleventh (17:00) hours to hire more workers, promising to pay them what is right to them.
The eleventh hour refers to the time just before the end of the workday, around 5:00pm, as the Jewish day was divided into twelve hours (6:00pm-6:00am is nighttime, while 6:00am-6:00pm is daytime).
It was surprising to the workers that were hired at the eleventh hour when the landowner gave them the exact wage agreed with those who were hired from 6:00am, illustrating the landowner’s generosity. It was however displeasing for those that were hired at 6:00am, as not only were they paid last, they were also given the same amount as those who did just one hour’s work.
The parable emphasises the boundless grace and mercy of God on anyone who accepted the call of salvation, regardless of when that call was heeded.
It also challenges the human notions of what fairness and justice means, highlighting that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The eleventh-hour workers receiving the same wage as those who laboured all day denote that salvation is not earned by works but is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It equally demonstrates that those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour for quite a while, must remain faithful to their calling to the very end, as the first can become last, and the last can become first.
The bible tells us about a woman who did experience Divine assistance for eleventh hour. She is known as the Widow of Nain. Her husband had died for whatever reasons, and as if that was not enough misfortune, the only son she had also died.
As the pallbearers and mourners were following her to the grave, Jesus was just passing by. The Jewish cemetery is usually outside their cities, Jesus met the procession just by the city gate. By the slightest time deviation on both sides, the chanced meeting would not have happened.
When Jesus saw her, He had compassion on her. He asked the pallbearers to stop and He commanded him that was dead to get up. The dead man sat up and began to speak. He was then handed alive to his mother (Luke 7:11-17). The young man overcame premature death at the eleventh hour. The widow overcame a lifetime of sorrow just by the eleventh hour. It was a very close call to an irredeemable loss.
The Lord God has impressed upon my spirit that this month of November and December shall be a time of Divine assistance for the eleventh hour for us collectively and individually. The year truly is winding up and running to an end, yet God will perform miraculous and stupendous things for us still before its expiration.
The Lord Himself will grant us grace for the eleventh hour enjoyment. His favours upon us will provoke envy and jealousy from many. He will greatly reward the little efforts of ours with massive successes. He will disregard the murmurs and complaints of our accusers.
He will maximise time accomplishments for us. He will grant us chance meetings that will be life transforming. Things in our lives that would have been meant for the ‘grave’ will be miraculously resurrected back to life. Whatever is intended to cause us sorrow and pain will be miraculously be turned to joy and jubilation.
May the Almighty God do these and more precious things for us in these last moments of the year in Jesus mighty name.
