From “Hosanna in the Highest!” to “Crucify him!”–What happens when Jesus doesn’t deliver on our expectations…

He was supposed to claim his kingdom, throw out the Romans, sit on the throne of his father, David, return Israel to most-favored nation status. Mary was supposed to be highly honored among women. The disciples were supposed to sit on twelve thrones and rule over the twelve tribes of Israel…

But…here he was…flogged and crucified, features swollen and bloodied beyond recognition, Mary broken and weeping, disciples looking on from a distance, the people sobered and watching…the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the chief priests and elders smug and triumphant, mocking, gloating…in just five days high expectations of national and individual dreams turned to blood and dust, abandonment and betrayal. When Jesus acknowledged that he was the Messiah, the people, and especially his disciples, expected him to do what any red-blooded Messiah would do. But God, this is NOT what you promised. Did Jesus even try to manage their expectations?

He was supposed to claim his kingdom, throw out the Romans, sit on the throne of his father, David, return Israel to most-favored nation status. Mary was supposed to be highly honored among women. The disciples were supposed to sit on twelve thrones and rule over the twelve tribes of Israel…

But…here he was…flogged and crucified, features swollen and bloodied beyond recognition, Mary broken and weeping, disciples looking on from a distance, the people sobered and watching…the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the chief priests and elders smug and triumphant, mocking, gloating…in just five days high expectations of national and individual dreams turned to blood and dust, abandonment and betrayal. When Jesus acknowledged that he was the Messiah, the people, and especially his disciples, expected him to do what any red-blooded Messiah would do. But God, this is NOT what you promised. Did Jesus even try to manage their expectations?

Yes. He told his disciples, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem: and all the things which have been written by the prophets shall be fulfilled in the Son of man. For He shall be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him up to the Gentiles. And they shall mock Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall treat Him shamefully, and crucify Him: and on the third day, He shall be raised up.” (from Matthew, Mark and Luke, The Interwoven Gospels)

He explained on the Mount of Olives that the temple was going to be torn down, that nation will rise against nation, that all manner of havoc would occur before the Son of Man returns to sit on his throne. On the way to Gethsemane he told them that he was returning to the Father. That they would all scatter and leave him alone. He really tried.

But when reality seems to be moving intensely in the other direction it’s so hard to imagine what those words mean. When our expectations finally hit the wall of reality we can get mad at God. Turn our backs. Become angry. Fearful. Gullible. All of the above. The elders and chief priests, motivated by envy, played on the disillusionment of the crowd. “Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.” This was not turning out like the people expected. If Jesus was not the Messiah then he was a fraud and a liar. So they lined up behind the very leaders Jesus had warned them about.

But when they followed Jesus out to Golgatha, when they saw how he loved and forgave in the middle of all the blood and horrific pain, they did not join in their leaders’ mockery and gloating. They watched. They watched the way Jesus died. “And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.(Luke 23:48)”

God is always up to far more than we can imagine. He is working as hard as he can to get us exactly where he wants us to be. He often seems to deliberately withhold our understanding. (And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said (The Interwoven Gospels). This boggles my mind…he didn’t want them to understand? Didn’t want them to adjust their expectations? He wanted them to walk through the deep crucifixion grief and into the deep resurrection joy?

We move along with certain expectations that he duly shatters. And in the disappointment/heartbreak he does his transforming work. Instead of understanding, if we reach for him and open wide our hearts to receive, we get God in the midst of our disappointment and pain. And in that place He loves us. Transforms us. One degree of glory to the next.