Don't you just hate it when things don't go the way you planned? You take the time to meticulously map out all of the details for something, and you build up in your mind how you think it's going to go. Then, it never seems to fail, things start to go sideways. Maybe your outdoor wedding gets rained out, or your Thanksgiving dinner gets burned in the oven. Whatever it is...we've all been there.
However, no single event in human history has been at the center of more unmet expectations than the life and death of Jesus. Everyone he met and interacted with was compelled to formulate some type of idea about him. He wasn't the type of person you could remain neutral about. To say that he was polarizing in his time (and even still today) would be an understatement of epic proportions. True indeed, to experience Jesus causes one to inevitably expect something from him.
The people who believed he was the promised Messiah expected him to deliver them from Roman oppression, restore them to national prominence, and reign as their king. The religious leaders expected his influence to fade (as previous prophets and would-be messiahs had before him) and for their hold on power to remain strong. His truest and closest followers, who struggled to reconcile his teaching with who they rightly understood him to be (God the Son), expected his self prophesied death to be some type of veiled teaching, much like his many parables. "Surely," they thought, "he's not REALLY going to die."
In the end, all of these people came face to face with a reality that was drastically different than what they had expected from Jesus. It's at this very moment in our study of Matthew that we begin to see all of these expectations begin to collide with the truth of what is really beginning to transpire. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to see, one by one, these thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about Jesus turned upside down. Judas had a plan. Peter had a plan. The religious leaders had a plan. Everyone had a plan for how this would all play out.
What these people all learned, and we need to learn through our study, is that everything that happened (and everything that happens), happens "according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). You see, we can plan to our heart's content, but all of our planning, in many ways, is simply an attempt to wrestle into submission things that we are powerless to control. Who among us can honestly say we have any real control over anything? Rather, our attempts at control are merely self-made illusions. God, and God alone, is in control. He alone has the power and authority to control all things. He alone...in his goodness, and wisdom, and immutability...is worthy to have control.
At Jesus' arrest, I can imagine there were many things going through the minds of those who were watching it all transpire. His enemies likely thought they were finally going to win and put an end to this nuisance. His followers probably thought it was a bad dream from which they would soon wake. I don't know for sure what they were thinking, but what I do know is that none of them expected what would happen over the next few days.
This is how God works. He defies our expectations. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). For some people, even many people, this vast distance between God and man is too great to be overcome, and they grow colder and colder to him. However, when, by grace, we are able to see clearly that which was once hard to see, we are able to recognize this distance as being only from one pierced hand to another. You see, the Gospel doesn't merely defy expectations, it radically transforms and rewrites them...our expectations of God, and our expectations for life itself.
One need merely continue to read through the pages of scripture to find example after example of this playing out. It is the testimony of all who have experienced the power of the Gospel personally in their lives. Have you experienced it for yourself? If not, take time today to ask God to defy some expectations in your life and see what happens. You'll be thankful that you did!
In Grace,
Chris Morris
If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
Part 92 - Betrayal & Obedience
Questions discussed in this sermon:
1. Does this passage teach us how to deal with betrayal?
2. Why was Judas accompanied by so many soldiers with clubs and swords?
3. Was Jesus victimized by corrupt Jewish leadership?
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