He came right when He was supposed to. 2,000 years ago Jesus came to Israel as her King. This had always been God’s plan (1 Peter 1:20). Jesus’ coming “took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'”(Matt 21:4-5).
On Palm Sunday we remember the crowd’s excitement at Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem. Israel had been waiting over 400 years for this time, and now it had finally come. “Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt 21:8-9)
Expectations of Jesus were high. Would He assume the throne as King? Would He rule and expel the Roman Empire? Most everyone was ready for the change they expected Messiah to bring. Even the children cried out in the Temple in excitement for what they had been waiting for (Matt 21:15).
As history has revealed, the excitement of this moment quickly died away. Jesus did not meet the nation’s expectations of their Messiah. He had a greater purpose to fulfill than simply delivering Israel from Roman rule. He came to deliver the world from sin’s awful penalty. Jesus came as Savior.
Jesus would soon be despised. Jesus would soon be rejected by those who for the moment shout praise. Jesus would soon die on a cross. Jesus would die for us (1 Peter 1:20).
What are our expectations of Jesus Christ today? Are we looking to a Jesus different from the one presented in God’s Word? How about Jesus’ expectations of us? He has sent Christians out into the world to make Him known (Matthew 28:18-20). Are we proclaiming Him to the world?
There are billions of people across this world with zero expectations of Christ, simply because they have never heard of Him. Who will go and tell them? Join us in prayer for those who God will raise up and prepare to take the best news ever proclaimed to a lost world. Pray for us as we near the end of our training with New Tribes Mission. Pray for us as we move toward our ministry to prepare others who will go and tell the unreached in this world the good news about Jesus Christ, and give them hope.
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