Unmet Expectations

Matthew 21: 8-9   “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,

while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’

‘Hosanna in the highest!’”   NIV

Those who lined the street, waving branches and making a carpet of their cloaks thought they knew what Jesus would do once he entered Jerusalem. For nearly 100 years Israel had been ruled by Rome, kept in check by military troops and puppet kings. The priesthood has become political and corrupt. But Jesus was different. He came with wise teachings and miracles--surely He had come to rescue His people from their terrible suffering. Surely He was there to overthrow Rome, sit on David’s throne, return Israel to her glory days, and make daily life pleasant for the people.

We know this because of what they did and what they shouted. Scripture taught that when Messiah came, the nation would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles…hence the cutting of palm branches and shaking or waving them in the air, a Sukkot custom. "Hosanna to the son of David," they shouted, "Hosanna in the highest!" Hoshianna means save us! Son of David is a reference to the Messiah…whom the Jews expected to be a human man restoring the political kingdom of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord essentially means Welcome! So they were shouting, "Welcome King of Israel, take your place, save us to the uttermost!" Later in Matthew 21 the priests were upset about what the people were saying. They knew very well what the Triumphal Procession portended...what the people expected. They knew that, if He desired it, Jesus could lay claim to the throne and upset their carefully loaded apple cart. 

When we see Palm Sunday in its Jewish context we better understand why the people were so completely confounded and dismayed when Jesus was arrested only a few days later. His arrest meant there would be no king, no rebellion to send the Romans packing, no relief from their suffering. Many who shouted for Jesus’ coronation on Palm Sunday, screamed for his crucifixion later that week. Because Jesus did not meet the people’s expectations many missed the coming of their Messiah.

We nod our heads wisely...we know this story. Those poor Jews, who couldn't see Jesus even though He was right there in front of them. They misunderstood Him and what He intended. But how many times have I missed Jesus? How many times have I had expectations that went awry, lost my composure and then blamed God? I am so like the people in the stories, hard-headed, hard-hearted and wanting my way. I'm so confident that my understanding is the right one that God Himself could stand by the side of the road holding a detour sign and I'd drive blithely past, sure it was a mistake. But when God provides a detour it is wise to take it, no matter what it looks like.

We are just days away from Easter, a day we celebrate our living King. This year we will celebrate that day separately, amid uncertainty and fear... definitely a detour from what we expected. We find ourselves in an unplanned sabbatical, a surprise departure from regular routine. Our calendars have been cleared, our agendas cancelled. We have time on our hands and nowhere to go. We have been given a pause, a time-out, a silence into which God can speak. 

In Revelation 3 Jesus admonished the faithful in Sardis that they weren't quite the vibrant believers they thought they were. He tells them to wake up and strengthen what remains. He wasn't being mean. They were His, He loved them. But they had fallen into a dangerous complacency and didn't realize they were sliding away. Warning them to wake up and change direction was a mercy--a mercy we have now been given. During the lock-down I have been dismayed at how much like everyone else I am. I've been worried, but mostly worried about myself: that my life has been disturbed; my plans upended; shocked that I don't love the way I thought I did; ashamed that I have so little of Jesus in me. Like the church in Sardis, this is not who I thought I was. I am seeing that there is a difference between answering an altar call for Forerunners and actually being a Forerunner.

And that is exactly the point. A detour is inconvenient, but also an opportunity to go in a different direction, to see different scenery, to have a different perspective. In order to change I must first know that change is needed. I don't know I am asleep until I wake up. Wake up and strengthen what remains. God didn't send the virus but He is using this season as an opportunity to take stock, not of our toilet paper supply, but of ourselves.

Because Jesus loves us so dearly He wants us to see our lack so He can fill it. He wants us to hunger, so He can feed us. He wants us to collapse with weariness so He can strengthen us. Tribulation is not punishment but a wake-up call. He wants none to perish. For the gospel to have maximum effect it must be delivered by a people fully alive, filled to overflowing with the light of the risen Christ. He wants love-sick followers wholly given to Him, because that is the only safe way to go through increasing trouble. He will lead us, but we must follow His lead. Believers around the world are fasting and praying for God's intervention in the pandemic. They are rightly asking for protection, healing and restoration. I am asking for that as well, but also that we would not miss God's detour sign. Let's use this time at home to quiet ourselves and spend time with Him. Let's avail ourselves of His willingness to give more to those who ask for more. More of Him in us means joy unspeakable and full of glory, as well as deliverance for the world God loves. This serious season is one in which a shaken world is looking for answers and help. I am asking myself, do I have the answer or not? The best we can offer a world gone mad is Jesus. This forced sabbatical is an opportunity to sit at His feet and drink deeply of His presence; to give ourselves anew to Him; to ask our glorious Bridegroom to reveal Himself to us; and to run deeper into wholeheartedness.  This is a season the enemy means for harm, but God will use it to fill His followers with oil. Oil for a fire so fierce that nothing can put it out. But we have to ask for it. We have to ask for more of Him. Come soon, oh glorious King!

“At the time my coming draws near,
heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared
to ten maidens who took their oil lamps and
went outside to meet the bridegroom and his bride.
Five of them were foolish and ill-prepared,
for they took no extra oil for their lamps.
Five of them were wise and sensible,
for they took flasks of olive oil with their lamps."
Matthew 25:1-4 The Passion Translation