FROM THE PULPIT: SOMETIMES WE HAVE WRONG EXPECTATIONS

The story is told of a minister who went to the hospital to visit one of his parishioners who was critically ill. The minister entered the room and saw the man lying in bed with a whole host of tubes and wires attached to his body.

Without any delay the minister strode to his bedside and began to exhort him with a litany of scripture verses. Soon the man in the bed became agitated and started to wave his arms. This encouraged the minister, and so he exhorted him more and more enthusiastically. Finally, the minister closed his eyes and ended with a rather lengthy prayer.

At the final "Amen" the minister opened his eyes just in time to see the man reach for a pad of paper and a pencil. Quickly he wrote something and handed it to the minister. The pad read these words: "You are standing on my oxygen tube."

Sometimes it is easy to misread people's actions. Not all arm-waving is an expression of exuberance. Not all laughter is the laughter of happiness. Not all tears are tears of sorrow. Not all shouting is the shouting of triumph and victory. Not everything is as it initially appears. Sometimes we place erroneous expectations into a situation and come to a grossly wrong conclusion.

Today is Palm Sunday, the day we commemorate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But in reality, it was not really a triumph at all. Jesus enters Jerusalem amid shouts of, "Hosanna." It was a welcome and triumph from an optimistic crowd. Five days later the same crowd shouts for his crucifixion. On Palm Sunday the crowd thought he was the savior who would give them what they wanted. By Good Friday they realized he wasn't. And that angered them enough to call for his execution.

As long as Jesus held a politically motivated expectation for the people, the expectation of salvation from Roman oppression, the crowd would receive him with shouts of jubilation. As long as he fulfilled their expectation, they would follow him. But their reception of Jesus was not on his terms. Nor was their reception based on a commitment to his teachings.

The real tragedy is how the people received the Jesus of their own expectations, not the Jesus of a biblical faith. When he failed to live up to those misguided expectations, they forsook him and shouted for his condemnation as ardently as they had praised him and shouted for his coronation before.

Mark 11:1-11 describes the reception of the king as he humbly comes into Jerusalem. How Jesus came was both a surprise and a statement about His reign. By choosing a colt, Jesus entered with humility and gentleness. The question for us today is: "How do we receive Jesus?"

Do we receive Jesus on his terms as he really is? Do we receive and submit to the commands of Jesus and the claims of Christ on our lives? When our expectations of God are not fulfilled, do we not also forsake Him?

The message Jesus brought to Jerusalem in that day is the same message He brings to us today. He does not come with strong-arm tactics. He comes with humility. One day he will come as a mighty warrior. He will trade the docile colt for a mighty war horse, the great white horse we see him upon on the pages of the book of Revelation. One day, he will come to judge all humanity. But until that day, we live in the age of grace. Jesus comes to us, not with coercion, but with conviction. He speaks to our heart to draw us willingly to himself that we might take up our cross, voluntarily, and follow him or our own accord.

Can you hear his voice as He speaks to you today? He whispers to your heart, "Follow Me." "Follow me to the cross where your sins can be forgiven." "Follow me in sharing the Good News with those for whom I died." "Follow me in sacrifice." "Follow me in surrender."

It seems to me that we often follow Jesus as long as he lives up to our expectations. Sadly, many of us give up too soon to know the great reward to those who receive him as he really is, the humble savior of the world.