Not As Expected, But Just As Needed

Text: John 12:12-19

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          It probably won’t surprise you that I’m not the one who generally does the grocery shopping in our family. If I was, we’d probably have a lot more last-minute trips out to the store to get the things I was supposed to pick up but didn’t. In my defense, grocery stores are set up to distract you. They’re meant to lure you toward the stuff that’s not on your list. And then I forget what I was supposed to be there to get.

But there are times when I’m travelling south for something and it just makes sense for me to take the list and do the shopping at Costco. I still get distracted and generally come home with things that weren’t on the list, but sometimes I’ll also get lucky and get a meal out of the deal. Because more often than not there are at least a few stations set up giving out samples. Try this or that and maybe come back around for a second taste if it was something really good, and before you know it, you’ve made a lunch out of all the samples. Of course, it’s a sales and marketing technique. They’re looking for feedback on the product. A little one or two question informal survey about what you liked or didn’t like about whatever it was they were giving away. And if you seem interested, of course the full display of the product is right there behind the sample table for you to grab and take home with you.

Surveys and polls are everywhere, attempting to find out what the public thinks about a certain concept, candidate, or product. They’re in the store, but they’re also online. I received at least five-mail requests this week alone to take a survey about this or that. They want to know what you like and what you don’t like and also whether the product meets your expectations. Does it do what it says it will do or live up to what you think it should be? And then based on these surveys, companies are able to improve and package their goods and services for greater profit.

What if we took a survey of the crowds who greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? If we asked, “What do you think about Jesus?” we’d receive some glowing responses. But if we asked that question again on Good Friday, we’d see a dramatic and sudden shift in public opinion. And at first glance, the overall perception of Jesus on the cross is likely not as positive as the hero entering the city at the beginning of the week. But in hindsight, our opinion of Jesus on the cross should be even higher that that of Jesus on the donkey. Because even as He hangs there dying, we can now recognize that

JESUS, THE MESSIAH, CAME NOT AS HE WAS EXPECTED,

BUT JUST AS HE WAS NEEDED.

Christ’s purpose for coming into the world, and to Jerusalem in particular, wasn’t based on opinion polls or the desire for profit, but solely on God’s great and abundant love. Therefore, Jesus keeps his focus on His purpose: to suffer and die for the salvation of all people. But many of those who were giving Him such high ratings on Palm Sunday weren’t there to witness His even greater accomplishment on Good Friday. Because their expectations of who He was and what He was coming to do weren’t what was happening. How could the one who was going to free them from Roman oppression do so if He was dying on a cross. And so, the mood, the opinion shifts.

Like those crowds, we can change our minds and our moods swiftly when faced with adverse situations. And those situations come our way seemingly far too often. One day your marriage seems as strong as one can be and the next you’re bickering with your spouse about the most meaningless things. You’re gung-ho about the job you love and then it all collapses and you’re searching for fulfilment and meaning somewhere else. You’re satisfied with the direction your life is heading, and then in a moment it’s derailed.

It’s all related to that spiritual warfare that we talked about way back on the first Sunday in Lent. I know that many of you see the seemingly endless sicknesses of this Lenten season as the devil’s attack on your walk with the Lord. For some, the unknown, and ever changing, landscape of the family can be a burden that drags you down. For some the expectation of a new child is a great joy and blessing, and for others it brings with it the unknown and reminders of heartbreak.

I’ve walked with many of you these past weeks and months through the emotions of leaving a beloved community and entering into a new one. There are deep emotions tied to those decisions and those changes. What we know though is “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

And it’s not just in our lives outside this building that we deal with these expectations and letdowns. The highs and the lows. We experience similar swings in our spiritual lives. On Sunday we praise God, we celebrate his salvation in our lives—yet an hour or a day later, we may live as though the love of Christ has never had any effect upon our lives. A good example of such change is seen in Jesus’ disciples, especially Peter. At first Peter was all in for Jesus: “Lord, I will never leave you or forsake you!” However, when a bold witness could have put him on a cross too, Peter responded by denying Jesus. “I do not know the man.” How often do our words and our actions say that very thing to the people around us who might just be needing the bold witness to our faith that we could be giving to them?

So, why do we, like the crowds, change our tune so quickly and easily. I think there’s a couple of reasons. Those who were waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” had certain expectations for the Messiah. They expected a king who would eliminate all of their problems. And I think that if we were to really examine ourselves, we have the same expectations. We want a king that stops that cough that’s been keeping us, and the whole house, up all night for the past 5 weeks. We want a king that ensures that our spouse will always interpret our words and our actions in the kindest of ways. We want a job that’s never in jeopardy and a paycheck that will cover all the expenses, plus all the extras we want. We want perfect pregnancies that cause us no pain or strife and always end with a healthy child. We want a king who ensures that we have churches where everyone gets along, and our gifts are all used for the glory of God, and where we’re appreciated for the humble sacrifices we make for God’s kingdom.

But the King who came for us doesn’t promise all these things. What He does promise though is that He’ll be with you even when those expectations don’t become reality. He’ll walk with you in the sickness and the pain, the sorrow and the heartbreak, and He’ll keep you strong even when the church itself isn’t the place of peace that it’s supposed to be.

Another reason that we can change our tune so quickly is that we can very easily become afraid. We, like Peter, can very easily flee our commitment to Christ out of fear. Peter would have been right there with Jesus during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, both shouting and also relishing the praise that the Messiah was receiving. And yet, 5 days later he’s denying that he even knows who Jesus is. Like Peter, we too know what kind of reception we might receive if we confidently proclaim our faith and loyalty to the Lord. Thankfully, at this point, our lives are not likely on the line because of our confession of faith, but our reputation, our standing with others, might be. And for some that’s almost as important as their very life. I can point squarely at myself for this one.

But Jesus wasn’t concerned about all that. He wasn’t swayed by the opinion polls. He wasn’t driven by the collective response of the masses. He was there to be obedient to His Father’s will. Wherever that might take Him. And in fact, He knew exactly where it was going to take Him. Straight to the cross. And through it all He is unswervingly obedient to the will of His heavenly Father. “He made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.”

By always being faithful, for us He overcame sin, death, and the power of the devil. He has conquered all those things that presently plague you. And that should be of great comfort to you. Because we know that despite the fact that we struggle against many things in this life, we know He will never leave us or forsake us. And He’s bigger, and stronger, and greater than any of the things that this world and its present darkness can throw at us.

I mentioned surveys and polls at the beginning and also that Jesus wasn’t swayed by the opinions of the crowds, but as Jesus was walking with His disciples one day, he did take a survey of his own. Not one for His own benefit, but for the benefit of those who were walking with Him. And for us. He asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” The response was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Indeed, that is who Jesus is. He doesn’t come to please the enthusiastic crowds that give praise to Him, but to save the whole world. He comes as King—not to wear a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns, and not to be seated on an earthly throne, but to die upon a cross for our salvation. This we remember today and throughout this Holy Week. That the King who rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna!” is the very same King who we’ll see on Thursday offering His very own body and blood to the disciples. Who on Friday we’ll see suffering and dying in our place. And who next Sunday we’ll see risen triumphant over the grave. And for all this we give thanks that Jesus came not as expected, but just as needed. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.