Failed Expectations & Fulfilled Prophecies

Expectations are those internal “pictures” of how things, according to us anyway, are “supposed to be.”

They are often unwritten and unspoken—but they’re still there.

When these expectations are failed, we’re disappointed and disillusioned.

When our expectations are broken, our response is to say (or think), “That ain’t right!”

A book* I recently read states, “Jesus is surprising. His coming fulfilled ancient prophecies, but not expectations. He shattered expectations.”

This is so true.

Jesus simultaneously failed expectations and fulfilled prophecies.

Some of the same people who eagerly expected the coming of the Messiah didn’t like him when he came.

Why?

They pictured something different—the Messiah was “supposed to be” how they imagined him to be!

They expected a political leader, a revolutionary.

They expected pomp and circumstance.

They expected a “company man,” an insider.

They expected His teaching to affirm what they already “knew.”

And because Jesus didn’t meet their expectations, many said, “That ain’t right!” and rejected him. (John 6.60, 66)

In Luke chapter 7, some guys are sent to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (verse 20)

I think the question is funny.

It’s as if they are saying, “Are you gonna meet our expectations? ‘Cause if not, we’ll keep looking…”

Jesus answers, not with a simple “yes” or “no,” but by saying, “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (verse 22)

Jesus essentially says, “The prophecies about the Messiah are being fulfilled by me.”

It’s as if Jesus is telling them to choose: A) Your Expectations, or B) What God is Doing.

Here’s what I’m driving at: Our expectations (our pictures of the way things are “supposed to be”) often cloud our ability to see what God is doing now.

Could it be that the pictures we’ve painted in our minds are not always 100% accurate?

Could it be that our expectations of how things are “supposed to be” are distorted?

Could it be that our response, “That ain’t right!” isn’t right?

I think it could be.

I don’t want to miss what God is doing today because my expectations are edging him out.

When it comes down to a decision between A) My Expectations, and B) What God is Doing…

I hope I choose B.

* Book: Defiant Grace—The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus by Dane Ortlund