HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Seems like that statement and sentiment started melting away very soon into 2020. The cheers and toasts and celebrations that helped us ring in the new year seem, for many, like a distant memory now. So do the high hopes and gleaming optimism that accompanied our great expectations for all that could be in 2020. 

For many the shine and glitter of the new year started to fade with the passing of Kobe Bryant. I know it did for me. I don’t usually feel the loss of celebrities in a deep way, but losing Kobe, and his daughter, and the others on that helicopter, really affected me. I know it hit others hard too. 

But the hard times didn’t stop or even slow down after that. I personally experienced an unusual amount of death in a short amount of time. And now the world is reeling with the reality of COVID-19 and the fear and worry that accompany something that’s officially being called a global pandemic. It has truly disrupted life for just about every human being on our planet. 

Lebron James tweeted this out after receiving news that the NBA season had been suspended, “Man we cancelling sporting events, school, office, work, etc. etc.” What we really need to cancel is 2020!” 

WHAT NOW?

That tweet just hits different right now.  I can’t remember a year in my lifetime that felt  more like emotional whiplash than this year. 

So what do we do? What happens when we face a NOT SO HAPPY NEW YEAR?  Is there any hope or comfort to be found when our extremely high hopes turn into unbearably low realities? 

These questions got me thinking about any stories in the Bible when people had high hopes and expectations and  turned out to be dissapointed. And what I immediately thought of was what unfolded after the events Christians now celebrate as Palm Sunday.

THE PAIN OF UNMET EXPECTATIONS 

This seismic social event is recorded in all four gospels (Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19) and they depict a celebration that would rival just about any new year’s eve gathering. What took place was so significant and so charged that it had the people charged up and electrified with excitement to the point that Matthew tells us in Matthew 21:10 “the entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar”. Why were people excited to the point of putting the whole city into an uproar? They had REALLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS. 

Jesus riding down the mount of olives into Jerusalem was one of the most poignant pieces of political theater ever performed.  And it was performed for a city that was packed with nearly 3 million people who had gathered for the passover feast. What message was Jesus sending this massive crowd? I am the king you’ve been waiting for.

By riding a donkey into Jerusalem the way He did Jesus is essentially recreating this significant moment in Jewish History. 

“38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the king’s bodyguard took Solomon down to Gihon Spring, with Solomon riding on King David’s own mule. 39 There Zadok the priest took the flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon with the oil. Then they sounded the ram’s horn and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people followed Solomon into Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound.” 1 Kings 1:32-40

Jesus’ message is clear:

 I am the Son of David. 

The king of Israel. 

The Messiah. 

And the people believe him. They all cry out these messianic quotations from the book of Psalms: “Praise God for the Son of David!  Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:9. They add to these praises laying down palm branches and clothes to cover the road, an ancient form of rolling out the red carpet, reserved only for those due the highest of honor. 

These people are PUMPED. 

They were tweeting out selfies using the hashtag #thebestisyettocome.

But then, just a few days later, this same crowd that was shouting praises at Jesus is seen shouting “Crucify him”. And the city goes from a joyous uproar at the triumphal entry of Jesus, to dark and quiet after his crucifixion. 

What happened? 

They were sorely disappointed. Their high hopes and expectations were not met. What they expected as they cried “hosanna” (which literally means save us now) was that Jesus would be a messiah that would bring a military victory by leading an uprising that would free them from Roman Oppression. However,  Jesus makes it clear through his actions and teachings in the following days that he has no plans of leading a military rebellion. And ultimately, rather than crushing the roman empire through military might, Jesus himself is crushed and killed on a cross which serves as a symbol of Roman power. 

Talk about disappointment. Talk about feeling disillusioned, hopeless, and confused. I wonder what they would’ve tweeted then? #cancelAD33 ?

THE EXCEPTIONAL JOY IN UNMET EXPECTATIONS

But here’s the good news. Literally. While Jesus disappointed the crowds by not living up to their expectations, what they didn’t realize was he was accomplishing a victory that was infinitely greater than their relatively small expectations.

They wanted freedom from Rome. 

Jesus wanted freedom from death.

They wanted a temporary military victory.

Jesus wanted an eternal spiritual victory. 

They wanted Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom.

Jesus wanted to establish a heavenly one. 

Jesus knew, if he gave the people what they expected, He couldn’t give them what they never expected. Through his sacrificial death on the cross Jesus didn’t just defeat Rome (think about it- the church of Christ still exists, does the roman empire? Nope) He defeated the spiritual powers of evil that give Rome and all evil, oppressive empires their power. He defeated sin. He defeated Death. He defeated all the powers of Hell. And with his resurrection He WON eternal life for all who believe in Him. 

Praise God for Jesus NOT meeting people’s expectations.

2020

So how does this apply to us in 2020? What we see in Jesus is a God who works in ways far greater than what we can expect or imagine. We see a God who is so faithful and so good that even when things look absolutely hopeless, His purposes are still being accomplished. We see a God who doesn’t just work in spite of hard and dark circumstances but works through them. What Jesus reveals to us is that God actually uses the painful situations of our unmet expectations to accomplish things so great we could never have thought to expect them. 

So has 2020 been hard? Yes, Incredibly.

Has it been painful? Yes, deeply.

Has it been what we expected? Not hardly. 

But the message of the Gospel is that when we feel like we are living in the midst of crucifixion we just need to hold on because resurrection is coming.  It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming. 

How does the reality of the Resurection give you hope in the midst of your unmet expectations?