THE EXPECTATIONS GAME
DAY 55 & 56: Expectations are a funny thing. They make it very difficult to accept an outcome other than what we believe it will be. Like some of you right now may be frustrated because I didn't post our daily blog yesterday. On the other hand, my husband is thrilled because after a very busy week of not seeing much of each other, I set aside the things on my evening list (including this blog) to do dinner and a movie with him. Expectations can either surprise or disappoint. I think it depends mostly on how you estimate the character of the person on whom you have pinned your expectations.
Jesus knew what it was to both disappoint and delight those around Him. In my reading both yesterday and today in the New Testament, I saw people experience both.
In Mark 7, His non-fan club of Pharisees and religious teachers was still following closely observing everything Jesus did and said. On this occasion, they were frustrated because Jesus was not keeping some pretty basic religious traditions that all people of faith should observe. They noticed that Jesus disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish hand washing rituals before eating. They themselves followed a pretty extensive routine that involved washing at prescribed times, and prescribed items to ensure that they were not in anyway defiled. They were very proud of their traditions and fully expected them to be followed.
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
I can just see the gleam in Jesus eyes as if to say, "Well, now that you mention it, I'm glad you asked." He had plenty to say about about expectations - but His, not theirs.
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother. . . 11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
By now everyone around Jesus should have known He would speak truth no matter what the situation; and they should have known better than to expect Him to act according to man's traditions. Time and time again He had set God's principals of love and mercy ahead of man's customs. Jesus plainly told them He expected no less from them!
How encouraged He must have been as He traveled to the very next town and met someone who did fully expect Jesus to act out of the character for which He had become renowned. At least she hoped He would act in such a way as she had heard. She was a Gentile with no claim on Jesus' compassion -an outsider to the chosen people. But she had a need only He could meet - her little girl was possessed by a demon. So she came and she fell at His feet and she begged for Him to help her child. Fully meeting the expectation of His Jewish disciples His response is at first straight from the Jewish text book.
7 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
The woman, however persisted. She expected something else from the Man she had heard touched lepers, healed the blind and ate with tax collectors. So she pressed on and He did not disappoint:
28 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29 “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
When I consider the stories of these past two days, it seems to me that the difference in these people was expectations - the Pharisees expected Jesus to act against His proven nature. They were sorely disappointed - and would continue to be because they could not make Jesus into their image. The Gentile woman expected Jesus to act according to His nature. She did not ask Him to be what He was not, but to receive a blessing consistent with His nature. She was not disappointed.
There are many lessons I know I could learn from both of these incidents - and when I read them again, I will likely focus on another. Today though I am struck by the importance of truly understanding the character of Christ. I'll just say it - there have been times that I have been disappointed in God. It might have been when He did not respond to a prayer as I would have liked; or maybe something He allowed to happen in the world that disturbs my soul.
My disappointment though springs from my expectations of how I think God should act. Basically, I sometimes expect Him to act, well, like me. When He doesn't do what I would do it is easy get frustrated. In reality, that makes me like the Pharisees - wanting to get God to fit neatly in my box. I want to be like the Gentile woman instead, who counted on the fact that Jesus would not act like just a man - she expected Him to be God.
Imagine what it would be like every day to expect God to be fully God!
Day 55 of 365
Leviticus 15
Leviticus 16:1-28
Mark 7:1-23
Psalm 40:11-17
Proverbs 10:13-14
Day 56 of 365
Leviticus 16:29-34
Leviticus 17
Leviticus 18
Mark 7:24-37
Mark 8:1-10
Psalm 41:1-13
Proverbs 10:15-16
Jesus knew what it was to both disappoint and delight those around Him. In my reading both yesterday and today in the New Testament, I saw people experience both.
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
I can just see the gleam in Jesus eyes as if to say, "Well, now that you mention it, I'm glad you asked." He had plenty to say about about expectations - but His, not theirs.
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother. . . 11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
By now everyone around Jesus should have known He would speak truth no matter what the situation; and they should have known better than to expect Him to act according to man's traditions. Time and time again He had set God's principals of love and mercy ahead of man's customs. Jesus plainly told them He expected no less from them!
How encouraged He must have been as He traveled to the very next town and met someone who did fully expect Jesus to act out of the character for which He had become renowned. At least she hoped He would act in such a way as she had heard. She was a Gentile with no claim on Jesus' compassion -an outsider to the chosen people. But she had a need only He could meet - her little girl was possessed by a demon. So she came and she fell at His feet and she begged for Him to help her child. Fully meeting the expectation of His Jewish disciples His response is at first straight from the Jewish text book.
7 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
The woman, however persisted. She expected something else from the Man she had heard touched lepers, healed the blind and ate with tax collectors. So she pressed on and He did not disappoint:
28 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29 “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
When I consider the stories of these past two days, it seems to me that the difference in these people was expectations - the Pharisees expected Jesus to act against His proven nature. They were sorely disappointed - and would continue to be because they could not make Jesus into their image. The Gentile woman expected Jesus to act according to His nature. She did not ask Him to be what He was not, but to receive a blessing consistent with His nature. She was not disappointed.
There are many lessons I know I could learn from both of these incidents - and when I read them again, I will likely focus on another. Today though I am struck by the importance of truly understanding the character of Christ. I'll just say it - there have been times that I have been disappointed in God. It might have been when He did not respond to a prayer as I would have liked; or maybe something He allowed to happen in the world that disturbs my soul.
My disappointment though springs from my expectations of how I think God should act. Basically, I sometimes expect Him to act, well, like me. When He doesn't do what I would do it is easy get frustrated. In reality, that makes me like the Pharisees - wanting to get God to fit neatly in my box. I want to be like the Gentile woman instead, who counted on the fact that Jesus would not act like just a man - she expected Him to be God.
Imagine what it would be like every day to expect God to be fully God!
Day 55 of 365
Leviticus 15
Leviticus 16:1-28
Mark 7:1-23
Psalm 40:11-17
Proverbs 10:13-14
Day 56 of 365
Leviticus 16:29-34
Leviticus 17
Leviticus 18
Mark 7:24-37
Mark 8:1-10
Psalm 41:1-13
Proverbs 10:15-16
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