The blessing of unmet expectations, Matthew 11:1-15

What do you to when God doesn’t meet your expectations?

Have you ever doubted God because of your circumstances? I’m not asking if you have quit believing in God because of what was happening in your life. I’m talking about the times when you waver a little. Those times when things are going like you thought they would. The times when you get news you thought you’d never hear, or events transpire that you thought God would spare you from?

In Matthew 11 we find Jesus falling short of expectations. Look with me at Matthew 11:1-3, “When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns. 2 Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples 3 and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

John the Baptist ask the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Why would John ask this question? Because at the moment John is in prison, and his imprisonment is a big deal because of who he is.

Jesus tells us who John the Baptist is in 11:7-15, “7 As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. 11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come. 15 Let anyone who has ears listen.”

Jesus says that John the Baptist is a prophet. But he takes it further and says that John is more than a prophet. According to Jesus, John the Baptist is the messenger of the Lord that the prophets of old spoke of. John is the greatest of all who have been born of women.

John the Baptist is the prophet who comes in the spirit of Elijah

Jesus tells us who John is... and in doing do so Jesus acknowledges John before others. This is similar to his promise to acknowledge men before the father who are faithful in the midst of persecution.

In the time of the prophets like Isaiah and Malachi; Malachi prophesied that the Lord was going to send a prophet like Elijah in the time before the Lord comes.

Malachi 4:5 (CSB) says, “5 Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”

When the messiah comes, it was prophesied that it would be good for Israel and bad for everyone else. What Jesus teaches us is that the day of the Lord is a day of rejoicing for those who have bene justified by faith, but it will be a time of weeping and rejection for those who have rejected the Lord.

The Jews were looking for the Messiah to come and bring judgment. But, before the Messiah came to bring judgement they were looking for the one who would come in the spirit of Elijah and prepare people for the Christ.

Isaiah 40:3 (CSB) is a prophecy about the forerunner of the Messiah and it says, “3 A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”

The last prophet before the Messiah would be like Elijah. In fact, he would remind people of Elijah in many different ways. He would definitely remind people with his message. Matthew 3:1–2 (CSB) says, “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

John the Baptist went around calling people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He had come to warn them of the pending judgment when the Christ came, and he was warning them so they could repent and be ready.

But, not only was he delivering a similar message as Elijah, he even looked and behaved like Elijah. Elijah was described in 2 Kings 1:7–8 (CSB), “7 The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke those words to you? 8 They replied, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.” He said, 'It’s Elijah the Tishbite.’

Jesus asked, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces.” Jesus asked about what John was wearing because John didn’t wear the clothes of royalty. In fact, John the Baptist dressed like the Elijah of old. Matthew 3:4 (CSB) says, “4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

John the Baptist is the prophet that God sent to prepare the way of the Lord, and while sitting in prison John needs reassurance that Jesus is the true Messiah. John asks Jesus if he is the promised Messiah because the Messiah was supposed to come with the terrible day of the Lord. And, so far Jesus hasn’t brought the hammer down on these pagan Romans. Jesus hasn’t condemned the oppression of Israel and started a rebellion against the Roman Empire.

Jesus falls short of Jewish expectations

Jesus is falling short of the expectations of the Jews, and John the Baptist is fighting for his faith by asking Jesus for clarity.

Jesus responds to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:4-6, by referencing the prophecies that He has already filled.

Matthew 11:4-6 says, “4 Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

Jesus references prophecies like the ones found in

Isaiah 35:5–6 (CSB)

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

And…

Isaiah 61:1–2 (CSB)

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn,

And…

Isaiah 26:19 (CSB)

19 Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For you will be covered with the morning dew, and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.

And…. Isaiah 29:18–19 (CSB)

18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a document, and out of a deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 The humble will have joy after joy in the Lord, and the poor people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Jesus focuses John’s attention on what He has done, not what He hasn’t done yet.

Instead of focusing on what Jesus hasn’t done yet, John is reminded to focus on what God has done through Christ as the foundation for trusting that God will follow through. Jesus aimed John to the Scriptures, and when someone we know is doubting, we should do the same thing.

Throughout His ministry Jesus did not meet the expectations of the Jews. The difference between John the Baptist and the Jewish leaders was faith. John believed that Jesus was the Messiah, he was looking for confirmation of his faith.

The leaders of the Jews were looking for the Messiah to meet their expectations, and they found Jesus disappointing. They were willing to trade the grace and forgiveness of God for the hope of a temporary kingdom under Jewish rule. They traded the kingdom of God for the kingdoms of men.

The work that the Jews were looking for was not the work that Christ came to do. Jesus was overthrowing the powers of the day, He was dealing with the greater power, the power of sin, darkness, and Satan.

This truth will be missed by many of the Jewish leaders and contributes to the crucifixion of Jesus.

The fact that Jesus did what He promised, not what people expected is good for us to remember. We may doubt Jesus when our circumstances are not what we had hoped or expected. But, Matthew’s gospel reminds us that Jesus came to fulfill His promise, which actually exceeds our expectations.

Just like John doubted in prison, you and I can experience the same concerns and reach out to God for help in our time of need.

Remember that Hebrews 4:16 (CSB) says, “16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

Doubt is not disbelief, doubt is the feeling of not knowing what to believe.

Doubt will come, but when doubt comes Jesus says that the one who holds on to his faith will be blessed.

Matthew 11:6 says, “6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

The word offended rings with the tone of stumble. Blessed is the one who doesn’t stumble over who Jesus and what He has done.

There is blessing in the unmet expectations of Jesus.

It may not feel like there is a blessing to be found when things don’t go like you thought they would go. But the blessing is found when you embrace Jesus for who He is and for what He has done. The blessing of a future in Christ is found in embracing Christ in the present.

Elijah didn’t see the promises God made fulfilled in his lifetime.

John the Baptist didn’t see the fulfillment of Jesus’ ministry in his lifetime either.

John is eventually beheaded by the same man who currently has him in prison.

Everything in your life will not go like you want it too.

There are going to be moments where you doubt God’s goodness.

There will be time when you wonder where God is and why He isn’t doing anything.

There are nights that will seem like they last forever while you wait for God to answer.

There are events and experiences that will cause you to wonder why God let them happen, or why He didn’t do them different.

And yet, the blessing of each of these moments is that they force you to consider what God has done. The moments that bring doubt are also opportunities for God to bring us closer to Him. The situations that break our hearts are opportunities for God to nurture and heal us. The uncertain in life is an opportunity to hold fast to the one who is certain.

1. When your circumstances cause you to doubt, look to the cross.

Remember what Christ has done because it verifies who He is, and it guarantees what is yet to come.

2. When you feel like God hasn’t met your expectations of an abundant life, look to the cross and see the empty grave.

The empty grave reminds us that there is an eternal life that is abundant and full. In fact it is both full and empty. It is empty of sin, sadness, shame, guilt, etc. And it is full of love, joy, satisfaction, and happiness.

God doesn’t have to meet your expectations to keep His Word.

This truth is a bedrock to the ministry and methods of Jesus.

Jesus is the key to understanding everything in God’s Word.

Everything Jesus did made sense on the other side of the cross and the resurrection.

Everything in the OT makes sense on the other side of the cross and the resurrection.

If you want to understand God’s Word, then you must read it through the lens of Jesus Christ. All the info aims at him. All the people, aim you to Him. All the promises aim you to Him. The Law aims you at Him.