Unmet Expectations Matt. 21:1-11

The Point of our Message:

Are We Getting the Message?

Have we set realistic expectations?

Are we meeting God’s expectations?

Jesus came in fulfilment of much prophecy

But how did the people understand it

They Expected a King

Under the thumb of Roman rule

Words of the prophet Zechariah…9:9

English Standard Version Chapter 9

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

But they didn’t catch the significance of the donkey, a man of piece

As opposed to a warrior-king who would have ridden in on horseback

They saw a kingdom like David’s; proclaimed Jesus as Son of David (v.9)

Treatment was fit for a king—their version of a red-carpet treatment

…and He was/is a king; not the kind they expected

The sentiment of independence latched onto Jesus as their hope

They missed the part of Him being Righteous and having Salvation

Their expectations were not met

They Had Not Been Listening

He said in Mark 1:15

The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel

It appears that all they heard was the kingdom part…and they wanted it their way

Fast forward to the time in the narrative

He had predicted His death multiple times—but they didn’t get it

Even the 12 didn’t catch on very early

The Gospel was that the repentance would bring Salvation

Turning from sin and trusting in Him...

But they had other expectations

They Expected a Messiah

He who “comes in the name of the Lord”

Hosanna, hôšî‘âh nā’ save us we pray

An expression of worship, as well as a prayer for deliverance

They hadn’t expected what that Messiah would do, or how

Their opinion was colored by popular thought

Opinion that the salvation was of a physical nature…release from the oppression of the Romans

Understood their salvation to be a physical thing…not a spiritual thing

They’d heard, within the prophecies, what they’d wanted to hear…and didn’t Jesus delivering that

More unmet expectations

They Expected a Prophet

Q&A between the people of the city of Jerusalem and the crowd accompanying Jesus

Prophet, looks back to Duet. , words of Moses

English Standard Version Chapter 18

15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

There had been no prophet since Malachi (no word from the LORD)

Jesus came up from relative obscurity, as the noted OT prophets often had

But different from other prophets as He led them

Different from any of the rabbis

Matthew 7:29 ESV

for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Of course He had authority, He was the son of God

Jesus…name means God Saves

Nazareth in Galilee…certainly of the people

Though they were following at the time, many—if not most—would abandon Him in just a few days

But it surely wasn’t coming together the way they thought…and for the scribes and Pharisees>>>>>!!!!! It was worse

And they were the most culpable as they had the scrolls, they had the training…but Jesus didn’t follow their traditions

Didn’t live up to their expectations

What Are We Expecting?

King? Prophet? Messiah?

When we look at Jesus, are we looking at someone who is what we want him to be?

Maybe that’s a fault of current cultural conditioning…but it’s reality…and wrong!

Someone to take the current situation and fix it?

Take the mess we see around us and fix it?

Take the political mess we have and fix it?

Take our health and fix it?

That’s not a Savior, it’s a fairy god-mother or a genie out of the bottle

What is Jesus Expecting?

Looking at His history

Called for repentance

Mark passage used above

It continues through the voices of the Apostles

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…Acts 2:28

Called for disciples to follow Him

Called for His sheep to hear His voice

…and follow Him

Called for His followers to take up our crosses daily and follow Him

He was foreshadowing a bit there—a good bit...

Nobody wants to hear about that…doesn’t match our expectations

Sometimes, we carry a collective burden—this current virus and all it brings with it

But each carries it a bit differently

One may have health concerns for self or a family member or friend

Another, may be hit hard economically

Yet another struggling with loneliness…being cut off from friends and loved ones

Sometimes our burdens are custom-tailored…just for us

Just like God knew what He was doing in each of our lives

…and there is a divine purpose behind each

He has the expectation that we can get through them

All of us carry the burden of sin

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

…the Gospel is the good news that that sin can be forgiven hôšî‘âh nā’

Blood of Christ, shed on the cross cleanses us from that burden of sin

…and there’s more...

Jesus told his disciples that He would ask God who would send “another comforter” the Holy Spirit to guide us

So guided by that Spirit, we have the power to take up those crosses

The cross of Christ makes our crosses bearable

What Are Our Expectations?

Do they line up with what Scripture tells us?

Many call out to God for salvation—but are looking for a temporal salvation

“save me from this mess....”

Jesus is not a Genie in a bottle or a fairy god-mother

He wants to be our Savior, Lord, Master

Then He will do something with the situation…or He may do something with you…many times it’s the latter!

She is now a Christian speaker who brings many—mostly women—to see God more clearly, to experience His love more fully, to serve Him more effectively

What does God expect from you today

What Do You Expect of Him?

If we line up our expectations to His Word, His Character, His Being, our expectations will be met