Great Expectations

Palm Sunday saw Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as king. Unfortunately the people saw Him as their political savior coming to throw out the hated Romans but Jesus knew that although He was indeed King, His Kingdom was not of this world. Of such things are crucifixions made. 

The expectations that we have, often subconscious, determine our reaction to outcomes. If I expect that a church service is only a church service with traditional hymns, then I am going to be disappointed with contemperary music regardless of how worshipful it may be. If I expect my spouse, if they really loved me, to know what I want even if I have not told them, then if they don't deliver, it's not just that they truly didn't know, but they really must not love me. It can be a very poisonous state of affairs.and it is precisely how the crowd that hailed Jesus as king one weekend and demand that He be crucified the next. They were expecting a political king and when Jesus did not deliver, well - off with His head!

The only expectation that we should have about God is that He is good and He loves us, regardless of the circumstances in which we may find ourselves at any given moment, and in the end He will somehow bring it all to the good. It's sad that so many missed the first coming of the real king because they were looking for the wrong person and could not imagine anything else. We do well if we do not fall prey to the same error in our day.