Garry spoke from Luke 19:28-44 tonight, commenting especially on how the expectations of the majority of the crowds in Israel were not ultimately fulfilled by Jesus. When He entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the crowds were convinced that the Messianic prophecy (Zech 9) was being fulfilled (as it indeed was), but their expectations were of a king who would deliver them from Roman rule. They saw in Jesus someone with authority and power who would drive out their oppressors and lead them to victory (as the crowds had hoped earlier during the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:14-15)). Their hopes and expectations were based on kingly psalms such as Ps 2, Ps 45 and Ps 110 and prophecies such as Is 42:1 which promised that the Messiah would bring justice to the nations; as a result, they expected a warrior and victorious king who would subjugate all opposition.
People also were expecting the Prophet whose arrival Moses had foretold (Deut 18:15). Passages such as John 6:14 and Matt 21:10-11 make it clear that they expected this Prophet to come and speak to them directly, but despite high expectations, they could not reconcile these promises with other passages (eg Isaiah 52 & 53) which also spoke of a Suffering Servant. To them, the different aspects of victory and suffering could not be reconciled and so their view of the Messiah was distorted (rather like trying to draw a straight line graph from points without realising that the graph in question was a sine graph!)
Despite the seeming acclaim and adulation of the crowd, the majority were soon disappointed in Jesus. Many people continue to be disappointed in Him. God does not always do what they want or expect; they experience hurt and let down, unanswered prayer and are frustrated by hypocrisy. If we go through life with the belief that ‘bad things shouldn’t happen to good people’ or force our expectations onto God, we are very soon going to be disappointed in Him. Job and Joseph are clear examples of suffering even when in right relationship with God, but so often we act like spoilt children, demanding our own way.
The Bible teaches that suffering was necessary for Christ (Heb 2:10, Heb 5:8) and if Jesus suffered so that He might learn obedience and be made perfect or complete, it is inevitable that we too must learn obedience through suffering. Rom 8:17-18 makes it clear that suffering is an inevitable part of the maturing process that is ongoing.
God does not promise us an easy ride, but He does make promises which He keeps:
- He promises salvation for all who call on Him (Acts 2:21)
- He promises to be with us all the time (Matt 28:20)
- He promises that no one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28)
- He promises to limit what comes our way (1 Cor 10:13)
- He promises us an eternal inheritance (Eph 1:14)
- He promises to love us and that nothing can separate us from that love (Rom 8:35-39)
- He promises that we will be heirs with Christ (Gal 4:7)
- He promises that we will reign with Him one day (2 Tim 2:12)
- He promises to keep His promises (1 Cor 1:9)
- Most of all, He promises us Himself (Heb 8:10)
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on that day – perfectly fulfilling the word of God (because God is faithful!) – He did not meet the expectations of the people. He was, as far as they were concerned, a disappointment. However, He wants us to take us past our imperfect, inadequate, limited, constrained, parochial expectations and blow our minds with His awesome plans, plans which are far greater than we could ever imagine, plans that will prosper us beyond our wildest dreams (Jer 29:11) and which are immeasurably more than anything our hearts could ever desire.