Expectations. We all have them, and when they aren’t met, we aren’t happy. In Luke 4:14-16 we come across our Lord Jesus Christ, who didn’t live up to people’s expectations, until much later. In His hometown of Nazareth, everybody thought He was just another kid. He was the son of a carpenter. And that was pretty much it.
But when He started to speak in front of the elders, He drew attention. As He grew older, more and more people came to hear about His healing power in Capernaum. Now, the people of Nazareth expected something of him. They now had high expectations of Him and wanted Him to fix everything that was wrong. But He didn’t seem to meet their expectations for who they thought the Messiah was supposed to be. They envisioned a military warrior and and conquerer that would free them from Roman oppression. Little did they know that the type of victory Jesus was going to achieve was everlasting eternal freedom for our souls, and not just temporary freedom for our lives on earth. So our Lord was caught in between fulfilling the people's expectations or obeying His Father's commands. When he didn't deliver in the way they saw fit, they threw Him out of town. Little did they know that the man they threw out of town was destined to be victorious over more than our earthy wants, He would be victorious over death itself and offer us eternal life with Him.
In our world we live for easy fixes to life's problems. Problems that we may have caused ourselves and problems that are out of our control. In a culture of instant gratification we have become used to things being done efficiently and quickly. But just because our society has taken this turn does not mean that God has changed from who He has always been. As the years, decades and centuries go by, we may change, but God remains constant. God provides our needs, not necessarily all of our wants. So God's timing for delivering on these things doesn't always match up with our expectations. He knows what we really need and when we need it. Unfortunately we can become frustrated with Him at the time and, just as the people of Nazareth, not see how perfectly His plans work out until later on.
Believing that Jesus will supply us with the right answer at the right time is something we all struggle with, but when it comes right down to it, it’s all about faith and patience. The combination of the two keeps us content in Christ, the absence of the two keeps us following rabbit trails and trying to fill our lives with something only God can do. But praise God that He is full of grace and praise God that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the ultimate sacrifice for our broken souls, so that we might die to our selfishness, live like Him and rest in His peace. He has given us the way out, and its the only exit off the highway. Amen.
But when He started to speak in front of the elders, He drew attention. As He grew older, more and more people came to hear about His healing power in Capernaum. Now, the people of Nazareth expected something of him. They now had high expectations of Him and wanted Him to fix everything that was wrong. But He didn’t seem to meet their expectations for who they thought the Messiah was supposed to be. They envisioned a military warrior and and conquerer that would free them from Roman oppression. Little did they know that the type of victory Jesus was going to achieve was everlasting eternal freedom for our souls, and not just temporary freedom for our lives on earth. So our Lord was caught in between fulfilling the people's expectations or obeying His Father's commands. When he didn't deliver in the way they saw fit, they threw Him out of town. Little did they know that the man they threw out of town was destined to be victorious over more than our earthy wants, He would be victorious over death itself and offer us eternal life with Him.
In our world we live for easy fixes to life's problems. Problems that we may have caused ourselves and problems that are out of our control. In a culture of instant gratification we have become used to things being done efficiently and quickly. But just because our society has taken this turn does not mean that God has changed from who He has always been. As the years, decades and centuries go by, we may change, but God remains constant. God provides our needs, not necessarily all of our wants. So God's timing for delivering on these things doesn't always match up with our expectations. He knows what we really need and when we need it. Unfortunately we can become frustrated with Him at the time and, just as the people of Nazareth, not see how perfectly His plans work out until later on.
Believing that Jesus will supply us with the right answer at the right time is something we all struggle with, but when it comes right down to it, it’s all about faith and patience. The combination of the two keeps us content in Christ, the absence of the two keeps us following rabbit trails and trying to fill our lives with something only God can do. But praise God that He is full of grace and praise God that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the ultimate sacrifice for our broken souls, so that we might die to our selfishness, live like Him and rest in His peace. He has given us the way out, and its the only exit off the highway. Amen.
