What Do You Expect?

Matthew 21:1-10

Matthew 21:1–10 (AMP)

1 AND WHEN they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead,

2 Saying to them, Go into the village that is opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie [them] and bring [them] to Me.

3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall reply, The Lord needs them, and he will let them go without delay.

4 This happened that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

5 Say to the Daughter of Zion [inhabitants of Jerusalem], Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey [a beast of burden].

6 Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats upon them, and He seated Himself on them [the clothing].

8 And most of the crowd kept spreading their garments on the road, and others kept cutting branches from the trees and scattering them on the road.

9 And the crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed Him kept shouting, Hosanna (O be propitious, graciously inclined) to the Son of David, [the Messiah]! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (O be favorably disposed) in the highest [heaven]!

10 And when He entered Jerusalem, all the city became agitated and [trembling with excitement] said, Who is This?

What does the world say about Expectations

The Cambridge Disctionary Defines “unlreastic” as:

having a wrong idea of what is likely to happen or of what you can really do; not based on facts:The Cambridge Diztionary Defines expexctations as: “

And defines “expectations” as

“the feeling that good things are going to happen in the future:

We have to ask…so what is “unrealistic expectations? “What Are Unrealistic Expectations?

Unrealistic expectations are anticipations, whether self-imposed or imposed by others, that are extremely unlikely or impossible to achieve. These expectations often stem from societal pressures, comparisons, or unrealistic ideals of perfection. They can affect various aspects of life including relationships, career goals, physical appearance, and personal achievements.

That is a mouthful but all to say that it is having things in minds, about our future that is not real.

I am not sure how many of support and embrace that definition. It is not unlike the world when they speak about, what I would term as “unrealistic expectations”. Forbes website, speaks on “8 Unreaslistic Expexctations that will ruin you.

Life should be fair

Opportunities will fall into my lap

Everyone should like me

People should agree with me

People know what I am trying to say

I am going to fail

Things will make me happy

I can change him/her

https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/08/02/8-unrealistic-expectations-that-will-ruin-you/?sh=6fb6485d19f0

Some might sound familiar to either because you know of someone with these qualities or you have that “unrealistic expectations”.

Ezylegal, a legal firm working specifically with families list 8 ressons why couples seperate and the #5 on the list is “unrealistic expectations”.

Unrealistic expectations refer to the standards we establish for ourselves or others that are exceedingly improbable or unachievable. These expectations frequently arise from societal influences, comparisons, or romanticized concepts of flawlessness. Unrealistic expectations can manifest in different spheres of our lives, such as relationships, careers, physical appearances, and accomplishments.

In our story we find these unlrealisti expectations playing out.

UE is connected to the misinterpretation of the past

How we look at the past can add to the Unrealistic expectations of life. There was a concept of Jesus that coloured in by what the people wanted. The people saw in Jesus a person who free them from the control of the Roman Empire. Jesus was the Messiah, the King of the Jews but the people did not have this view of Christ. It is told that about 150 years earlier Judas Maccabeus had led the Israeli victory over the Syrian occupation. The Syrian ruler, Antiochus, had killed thousands of Jews and desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, forcing the priests to eat its flesh. The successful revolt against Antiochus made Judas Maccabee a hero. The crowds celebrated his victory by waving palm branches. Judas, called “The Hammer,” stamped the image of palm branches into coins to commemorate the victory.

What they wanted in Jesus connectd to the story of Judas Maccabeus, should have influenced this unrealistic expectation of Christ.

in fact we have to add that this misinterpretation led to a double-minded people. A catch phrase useed by many a preacher goes something like this:

They went from HAIL HIM HAIL HIM to NAIL HIM NAIL HIN!

As catchy as that is and a play on words, there is so much truth in there. The same people who shouted Hosanna Hosanna was of the same group who was shouting Crucify Him! There was a change of approach here.

We find in our story many poeple shouting:

Matthew 21:9 (AMP)

9 And the crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed Him kept shouting, Hosanna (O be propitious, graciously inclined) to the Son of David, [the Messiah]! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (O be favorably disposed) in the highest [heaven]!

Jesus was not interested at the time to do something…Jesus was and is not interested in temporary pleasure for the sake of eternal glory! Jesus was all about eternal issues! So what all the commotion about? Between the book of Malachi and the book of Matthew,

What made Christ a stable person? Why do we refer to Christ as the ONLY CONSISTENT. We sing that song, “Yesterday, today forecer…JESUS IS THE SAME, all may Change but Jesus never….He knew and understood and understand life and has no unrealistic expectations.

Leviticus 23:40 AMP

40 And on the first day you shall take the fruit of pleasing trees [and make booths of them], branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick (leafy) trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

The Root of All Human Suffering is Attachment to Unrealistic Expectations

I was intrigued by this article heading and gathered that there is much truth in this. Scripture tells us about the conversatrion between Eve and the Serpent in Genesis 3: 4-5

Genesis 3:4–5 AMP

4 But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.

This says it all…listen to these unrealistic expectations which led to distance between God and man

your eyes will be opened

You will be like God

Knowing the difference between good and eveil

Knowing the difference between blessing and calamity

Solution:

Let Christ help you to interpret life. Help you to interpret the past, the present and teh future.