Great Expectations

 (And, no, not the Charles Dickens novel…)

Sometimes, our expectations are drastically different from reality. When I was a kid, I had expectations of what my life might look like as a 'grown up' - not even close. I expected by now we'd all have flying cars zipping to and from work. Before you get married, you may have a lot of expectations of what marriage will be. And then you get married and learn you didn't have a clue what it actually is. You have expectations about having kids, what your job will be like, what your retirement will look like...

Things don't always meet our expectations. But in many situations, I've learned that if I let go of my expectations - many things may actually be much better than I expected.

Today is celebrated as "Palm Sunday" in remembrance of the day when Jesus made His "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. When you read the account in scripture, you see that the people were so enthusiastic in welcoming Him, huge crowds lined the streets, spreading their cloaks on the road as a carpet for Him - they cut palm branches and waved them in the air before Him. The story is almost too familiar to many who have heard it over the years.

And as we look at the story, we might remember that who the people expected Jesus to be was far different than who He really was – and is. And when those expectations weren't met - it's then that we see that their cheers quickly turned from "Hosanna" …

I. To "crucify him!"

When the people saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem that day, they knew that something exciting was happening. Some understood that Jesus was The long awaited Messiah - come to save them, and they thought that they knew what that meant.

And what was it that they expected to be saved 'from'? Currently, they were being oppressed by the Roman government. They were forced to obey Roman laws and pay Roman taxes, so of course they expected that Jesus was going to save them from the Romans. They rejoiced at the picture that was forming in their mind's eye. - The picture of a king who would save them. - The picture of a nation reborn. - The picture of a people who would be free to be a mighty nation once again. So they celebrated, they danced in the streets, they shouted "Hosanna!"

Let's take a look at what happened right before Jesus entered Jerusalem, from the book of John 12:1-2 (NIV)...

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. (2) Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

Jesus had performed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead – not something that happens every day. Everyone in town knew that Lazarus had died so when they saw him alive again – there was no doubt that Jesus was not just an ordinary man. They had a banquet in honor of Jesus and the 'newly alive' Lazarus was sitting with Him. Let's jump ahead to John 12:9-19 (NIV)...

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. (10) So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, (11) for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. (12) The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

(13) They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" (14) Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, (15) "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." (16) At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

(17) Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. (18) Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. (19) So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"

News of Jesus' incredible power was spreading; surely this was the man who was going to lead them against the Romans. Everyone was anticipating what would happen next as the week started with an air of inevitable…

A. Triumph

Here you had a man who could raise people from the dead. If He were to gather an army to free the nation of Israel from Roman control, how could He be stopped? If any of His soldiers were killed, He could just bring them back to life. You could picture the movie now - He's just waving His hands and the soldiers just get back up and keep fighting. Just stop and contemplate what the people were expecting.

Then try to imagine how they must have felt as the week progressed. They started out believing that Jesus was The Messiah who could raise people from the dead – He was unstoppable! Then, not even a full week later, He's arrested and we go from triumph to what certainly looked to be…

B. Tragedy

The cross sure looked like tragedy. I'm sure that wasn't even remotely what people were expecting at the beginning of the week. Many of the same people who had been cheering for Jesus as He entered the city were now shouting "crucify him". Let's turn to John 19:1-7 (NIV)...

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. (2) The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe (3) and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face. (4) Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him."

(5) When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" (6) As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." (7) The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

People were cheering for Him after He raised Lazarus from the dead, but now the religious leaders had turned the people against Him. They accused Jesus of committing the sin of blasphemy by claiming to be God. - Now it would have been blasphemy except for the fact that He actually was God.

The people expected a Warrior King – what they got was God in the flesh, God incarnate – something much better than any earthly king! But their inability to let go of their expectations caused them to turn on the One who was actually bringing them salvation. Let's continue in John 19:23-25 (NIV)...

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. (24) "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. (25) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Notice that last verse – as Jesus hung on the cross, He wasn't alone. In this very brief verse, we see some very…

II. Devoted women

Now some Bible scholars say that in that society, women were treated as so unimportant that the Roman soldiers didn't really pay any attention to them; they weren't seen as a threat so they could get closer than any of the men who followed Jesus. There may be some truth to that interpretation, but I'm not entirely convinced. Roman soldiers were guarding Jesus as He hung on the cross. I believe that those women were taking a risk being associated with Jesus. I also believe that they were there, at the risk of their own lives, out of love.

Let's start with the first woman mentioned…

A. Jesus' mother

Remember - Mary had been visited by an angel and told of Jesus' birth and how He would "reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom would never end." We also know the story of how Mary and Joseph temporarily lost Jesus in Jerusalem in Luke 2:46-51 (NIV)...

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. (47) Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. (48) When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

(49) "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (50) But they did not understand what he was saying to them. (51) Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Mary had seen her amazing Son grow up and she knew He was destined for great things. Based on her encounter with the angel, the miracles she had seen Jesus perform – she had to have had some very special expectations for Jesus of her own. Now, as she saw the week start with Hosanna and end with the cross - it must have felt like everything was falling apart. She believed God's promise, she believed her Son – so why was this happening?

However, even though Mary didn't understand – she was faithful. Nothing was going according to what she expected the plan to be, but she was still there at the foot of the cross.

Let's look at yet another devoted woman who was there…

B. Salome

Now, Salome isn't mentioned by name in Luke's account. To find her among the women there at the cross we need to turn to Matthew 27:56 (NIV)...

Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

And if we then turn to the account from Mark 15:40 (NIV)...

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

There we find Salome named. If you do a bit of digging through scripture and compare Matthew and Mark's accounts to John's, you find that Salome is the mother of James and John, Zebedee's sons. Now, we don't know a whole lot about Salome. But there is one brief account in the 20th chapter of the gospel of Matthew that shows that she once received from Jesus a very definite "no" to a request of hers. Let's look at that passage in Matthew 20:20-23 (NIV)...

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. (21) "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." (22) "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"

"We can," they answered. (23) Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

Salome expected an earthly kingdom and was requesting a place of honor for her sons. As she stood at the foot of the cross and saw Jesus, she would have also seen two thieves hanging next to Him – one on His right and one on His left. In that moment, did she remember her specific request of Jesus…?

Salome had been told 'no' by Jesus for her request and the other disciples had even chided her sons for it, but she humbled herself and still followed Jesus with all of her heart. Now let's look at one more of the devoted women…

C. Mary Magdalene

Her name may be familiar, but we really don't know all that much about her. We know that she was a follower of Jesus and that later, after the cross; she would be the first to see Jesus alive again. Let's turn to Mark 16:9 (NIV)...

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

At an earlier point during Jesus' ministry, Mary had been held captive by demonic spirits and Jesus had saved her. She'd been freed from her torment and then gratefully chose to follow Jesus. She'd experienced Jesus' power first hand and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was indeed The Messiah. Now, she's standing at the foot of a cross on which her Lord is hanging. Jesus had freed her, but I wonder if she had expected that this was the price He would have to pay for her freedom?

So What?

- What do we expect from Jesus...? I read an article about a celebrity who very publicly accepted Jesus a few years back; he was very excited about his new found faith. Now, he says, 'I have my issues with Jesus. There's a lot of stuff I went through, that I prayed, and I didn't see Jesus show up.' I'm not trying to judge here, but he had some specific expectations of Jesus - and when Jesus didn't meet those expectations, he's lost his faith.

In the account of Jesus' triumphant entry, and then to the cross, people's expectations were challenged. Some of the people turned on Jesus, some didn't know what to do, and others remained faithful.

As we seek to follow Jesus, our expectations will be challenged, too. We may be very comfortable in our lives, but as we continue to draw near to the cross – we will find that we need to continue to change. If our ideas, our lifestyles, our values, our plans and dreams – if they don't fit exactly with what Jesus desires – it's not Him who needs to change.

Every day we have decisions to make, and every day we have to decide if we are going to give ourselves over to God's will. As Mary, Jesus' mother saw, things will not always go as we plan – but we need to trust Him. As Salome learned, His ways are not our ways – but they are the best ways in the end. As Mary Magdalene learned – His love for us, His willingness to take away our sins cost Him everything. What are you willing to give for Him?

I just want to close by reminding all of us as we celebrate this Easter season – yes, Good Friday is coming when we focus on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross – but we know that's not the end of the story….