October 11th, 2020
“Expectations”
John 12:12-19
Call to Worship: Psa 62
Aux. Text: Matthew 16:13-23
Service Orientation: Give God your expectations. Expectations built on human sources seldom deliver, often frustrate, and many times confuse.
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. — Psalm 62:5 NKJV
Background Information:
- This final week is so important that the Gospels give a disproportionate amount of space to it. Jesus lived thirty-three years. His active ministry occupied three years. But large portions of the gospels are given over to the events of just the last eight days. Matthew devotes one-fourth of his Gospel to it (chaps. 21-28). Mark uses one-third of his Gospel (chaps. 11-16). Luke gives a fifth of his chapters to the events of this last week (chaps. 19:28-24). Most remarkable of all, John gives half of his Gospel (chaps. 12-21). Taken together, there are eighty-nine chapters in the Gospels, but twenty-nine and a half of these (exactly one-third) recount what happened between the triumphal entry and Jesus’ resurrection. (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2, 434)
- On the Sunday before Passover this road was thronged with people. For this day was a special day. It was lamb selection day. It was the day people came to chose a perfect lamb for the Passover that would soon follow and among the crowd, riding on a donkey that day, was a lamb. (Ray VanderLaan, Focus on the Family “That the World May Know”; Set 4, Faith Lesson 23; The Lamb of God)
- Jesus’ descent into Jerusalem along the road here on the side of the Mount of Olives, was not simply coming as a triumphant king on a donkey. But it had to do with Jesus showing up to go up to this city to die on a day that the lamb was picked. It is almost as if God is saying to the world, “Here is my lamb. Will you chose Him?” . . . Jesus has made a very clear statement by the day he chose to come into Jerusalem. He is saying, “Have you recognized who I am?” (Ray VanderLaan, Focus on the Family “That the World May Know”; Set 4, Faith Lesson 23; The Lamb of God)
- (v. 13) From the time of the Maccabees palms or palm-branches had been used as a national symbol. Palm-branches figured in the procession which celebrated the rededication of the temple in 164 BC (2 Macc 10:7) and again when the winning of full political independence was celebrated under Simon in 141 BC (1 Macc 13:51). Later, palms appeared as national symbols on the coins struck by the Judean insurgents during the first and second revolts against Rom (AD 66-70 and 132-135). So well established was the use of the palm or palm-branch as a symbol for the Jewish nation that the Romans in their turn used it on the coins which they struck to celebrate the crushing of the Jewish revolts. On this occasion, then, the palm-branches may have signified the people’s expectation of imminent national liberation, and this is supported by the words with which they greeted our Lord. (F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John, 259)
- The coins of the last time that the Jewish people had been free, the time we call the Maccabeans or Hamoneans, used as their nationalistic symbol, a palm branch. Palm branches had nothing to do with peace and love. Palm branches for a Jewish person of the time were what the stars and stripes are to Americans. It was a way of saying, “We want our freedom! We want deliverance.” (Ray VanderLaan, Focus on the Family “That the World May Know”; Set 4, Faith Lesson 23; The Lamb of God)
- (v. 13) Palms were an emblem of victory, and in John’s mention of them here we must detect a reference to the triumph of Christ. (Leon Morris, The New Int’l Commentary on the NT: John, 519)
- (v. 14) The ass or donkey is commonly associated with the pursuits of peace (Jdg 10:4; 12:14; 2 Sm 17:23; 19:26; Isa 1:3); the horse, with warfare (Ex 15:1, 19, 21; Ps 33:17; 76:6; 147:10; Prv 21:31; Jer 8:6; 51:21; Zech 10:3; and Rv 6:4). (William Hendriksen, NT Commentary: John 7-21, 191)
- (v. 15) “Daughter of Zion” is a personification of the city of Jerusalem; it occurs frequently in the OT, especially in the later prophets (Isa 1:8; 52:2; 62:11; Jer 4:31; 6:23; Lam 2:4, 8, 10, 13; Mic 4:8; Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:10). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 127)
- (v. 15) Like many NT quotations from the Old, however, the entire OT context must be borne in mind if the full force of the words is to be recognized. After the promise of the coming of the gentle king, God further promises, “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 433)
- (v. 15) The coming of the gentle king is associated with the proclamation of peace to the nations, extending his reign to the ends of the earth. The latter half of Zech 9:10 is itself a quotation from Ps 72:8, which promises a world-wide reign for Zion’s king, a son of David. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 433)
- (v. 18) The phrase “went out to meet Him” is a “normal Greek expression used to describe the joyful reception of Hellenistic sovereigns into a city.” (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 207)
- (v. 19) It was because God so loved the world that Jesus came into the world; and here, all unwittingly, his enemies are saying that the world has gone after him. In the very next section John is going to tell of the coming of the Greeks to Jesus. The first representatives of that wider world, the first seekers from outside, are about to come. The Jewish authorities were speaking truer than they knew. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 118)
- (v. 19) 1. Jesus by means of his Triumphal Entry definitely indicates that he lays down his life; i.e., that he dies voluntarily. He takes matters into his own hands. He is forcing the issue. He deliberately plans a demonstration, fully realizing that, as a result, the enthusiasm of the masses will enrage the hostile leaders at Jerusalem to such a degree that they will desire more intensely than ever to carry out their plot against him.
- Jesus forces the members of the Sanhedrin to change their time-table (with respect to his execution) so that it will harmonize with his (and with the Father’s) time-table. Originally it had not been the plan of the Sanhedrin to put Jesus to death at this particular time. But the excitement over Jesus aroused by the Triumphal Entry was one of the factors which, considered from the human point of view, hastened the crisis. (William Hendriksen, NT Commentary: John 7-21, 183)
- (v. 19) It is ironical. They are concerned that a few Judeans were being influenced. But their words express John’s conviction that Jesus was conquering the world. (Leon Morris, The New Int’l Commentary on the NT: John, 523)
- The OT Palm Sunday lamb was to be a young male, without defect, whose blood would bring protection and salvation from judgement during Passover. (Ex 12-14 – Jn 19:6; Heb 4:15; 1 Pt 1:18-19; 2:22)
- It was an ancient custom (see 2 Kgs 9:13) for citizens to throw their garments in the road for their monarch to ride over, symbolizing their respect for him and their submission to his authority. It was as if to say, “We place ourselves at your feet, even to walk over if necessary.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 16-23, 260)
- The crowd received Jesus like a king. They spread their cloaks in front of him. That is what his friends had done when Jehu was proclaimed king (2 Kgs 9:13). They cut down and waved the palm branches. That is what they did when Simon Maccabaeus entered Jerusalem after one of his most notable victories (1 Maccabees 13:51). (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Gospel of Matthew, 278)
- Just as the “ass” was well suited to the One who had laid aside His glory, so the white “war-horse” of Rv 19 is in perfect keeping with the fact that He is now “crowned with glory and honor.” (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 665)
The question to be answered is . . . Why can expectations and assumptions sometimes be dangerous?
Answer: Misguided expectations and assumptions can blind us to reality. They can also cause us to fight against the very thing we say we want.
The Word for the Day is . . . Expect
Why is our nation is such horrible spiritual condition? We lack peace, security, contentment, unity and civility. These are all spiritual values. So why are these spiritual qualities missing in our culture?
Because we have rejected the author of those spiritual values. We have rejected and refused to submit to our spiritual Father and are bankrupt of these values so that our nation no longer enjoys them. What did we expect would be the consequences if we reject the source of our spiritual values? — PK
If the Cross is the place where the reality of human nature is unmasked, then the idea of a perfect earthly society is an illusion. (Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks, 126)
Everything Jesus was doing when He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was saying, “Pick me to be your Lamb to slaughter in 4 days”. Everything the people were doing was saying, “We pick you to be our conquering king to remove the Roman oppression”. When it was obvious that Jesus was not going to do what they expected . . . they crucified Him. Our expectations can confuse us and get us to dismiss the very thing that can save us. — PK
What cautions does today’s text offer us about our expectations?:
I- Perverted hearts and minds with wrong expectations blind us to reality. (Jn 12:11-16; see also: Prov 11:7; Ezek 13:6; Hag 1:9; Mt 16:13-23; 23:37; Lk 19:41-43; Acts 3:5; 21:29) {See the HFM message for April 5th, 2020 from John 5:31-47 for a more comprehensive treatment of this point.}
It is important to note that when Jesus came into the city, He did not deny that He was the people’s rightful king. However, by riding a donkey colt, He subtly informed them that He was the King God had appointed, not the King that they had conjured up in their expectations. (R.C. Sproul, John: An Expositional Commentary, 211)
Jesus came on a donkey and the people say, “Hosanna” which is a political thing, “We want a king.” And they waved palm branches which is a way of saying, “We want a king, we want a deliverer.” But, Jesus came on lamb selection day as a way of saying, “Yes, I am the king. But my kingship is going like I just told you on the road down there, by my being a servant. I’m going to go and give my life and that will usher in my kingdom” (Ray VanderLaan; “That the World May Know”; Set 4, Faith Lesson 23; The Lamb of God)
They believed that the one who comes in the name of the Lord was the king of Israel (see Ps 118:25-26; Zeph 3:15; Jn 1:49). Therefore, the Jews thought they were hailing the arrival of their King! But these people who were praising God for giving them a king had the wrong idea about Jesus. They were sure he would be a national leader who would restore their nation to its former glory; thus they were deaf to the words of their prophets and blind to Jesus’ real mission. When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to fulfill their hopes, many people turned against him. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 251)
Jesus approached Jerusalem with the shout of the mob hailing a conqueror in his ears–and it must have hurt him, for they were looking in him for that very thing which he refused to be. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 117)
Men most respect a leader who doesn’t care what others think of him.
Ironic, isn’t it? The Jesus of Scripture was exactly this kind of man. He was fearsome: The Bible says the disciples were “terrified” of Him (Mk 4:41), and “no one dared ask him any more questions” (Mk 12:34). He was abrasive: He had no qualms about offending people (Mt 15:12), and He regularly ridiculed his disciples for their thick-headedness (Mt 15:16). He was ill mannered: He walked into a dinner party and immediately began insulting His host (Lk 11:37-53). Truth is the Jesus of Scripture is more General Patton than Mister Rogers. (David Murrow; Why Men Hate Church, 134-5)
People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive. — Blaise Pascal
As to “Blessed (is) the One coming in the name of the Lord,” this is a quotation from Ps 118:26. Combined with “the Son of David,” as here in Mt 21:9, it must refer to Jesus as the Messiah. It was deplorable, however, that by far the most of these people did not go one step farther: they should have combined Ps 118 with Isa 53 and with Zech 9:9; 13:1. Then they would have recognized in Jesus the Messiah who saves his people from their sins (Mt 1:21). (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Matthew, 766)
As the recognized religious leaders of Israel, they were confident that they did not lack spiritual perception. But the reality was that they were blind to spiritual truth, even though they did not know it. And by refusing to admit their blindness, they confirmed the darkened condition of their hearts and increased their hatred for the only One who could save them from Satan and their damning sin. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: John, 417)
It is the fate of any true prophet to be at war with his times. (Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy, 93)
When it is said, that they at length remembered that these things had been written concerning him, the Evangelist points out the cause of such gross ignorance, by which their knowledge was preceded. It was because they had not the Scripture at that time as their guide and instructor, to direct their minds to just and accurate views; for we are blind, unless the word of God go before our steps, and it is not even enough that the word of God shine on us, if the Spirit do not also enlighten our eyes, which otherwise would be blind amidst the clearest light. (Calvin’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, Vol. II, 24)
In the context of the book of Zechariah, as well as the rest of the prophets, this word “humble” does not mean so much “gentle” as it means “lowly” or “bowed down” or even “full of suffering.” The word “humble” denotes, as C.F. Keil claims, “the whole of the lowly, miserable, suffering condition, as it is elaborately depicted in Isaiah 53.” So, in contrast with the arrogance and violence usually associated with earthly kings, this king, we are told, will be poor and afflicted; he will be a sovereign Lord and yet a suffering servant. (Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Preaching the Word: Matthew, 591)
A king who is hung on a cross is the king of a strange Kingdom indeed. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A Roman Marine is the first witness that Jesus’ crucifixion was not a defeat, it was not a dark day, it was the greatest inauguration/coronation ever held. But it’s upside down, as he took power by being weak and serving others. Which, as it turns out, is the only way it works. (Ray Vanderlaan; “The Road to the Cross”)
No man’s case is so hopeless as that of the self-confident man, who says that he knows everything, and wants no light. Such a man’s sin abides on him, and, unless repented of, will sink him into the pit. (J. C. Ryle, Expository thoughts on John, Vol. 2, 193-4)
The man who is conscious of his own blindness, and who longs to see better and to know more, is the man whose eyes can be opened and who can be led more and more deeply into the truth. The man who thinks he knows it all, the man who does not realize that he cannot see, is the man who is truly blind and beyond hope and help. Only the man who realizes his own weakness can become strong. Only the man who realizes his own blindness can learn to see. Only the man who realizes his own sin can be forgiven. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 50)
With us the ass is lowly and despised; but in the East it was a noble animal. Jair, the Judge, had thirty sons who rode on asses’ colts (Jdg 10:4). Ahithopel rode upon an ass (2 Sm 17:23). Mephibosheth, the royal prince, the son of Saul, came to David riding upon an ass (2 Sm 19:26). The point is that a king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war; he came riding upon an ass when he was coming in peace. This action of Jesus is a sign that he was not the warrior figure men dreamed of, but the Prince of Peace. No one saw it that way at that time, not even the disciples, who should have known so much better. The minds of all were filled with a kind of mob hysteria. Here was the one who was to come. But they looked for the Messiah of their own dreams and their own wishful thinking; they did not look for the Messiah whom God had sent. Jesus drew a dramatic picture of what he claimed to be, but none understood the claim. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 118)
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, he affirmed his messianic royalty as well as his humility. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he did not fulfill the people’s hopes as the conquering deliverer to drive out the Gentiles, but he nonetheless gave all the signs of a royal person making entrance into the city. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Matthew, 406)
The more knowledge a man has the more he is to be condemned if he does not recognize the good when he sees it. If the Pharisees had been brought up in ignorance, they could not have been condemned. Their condemnation lay in the fact that they knew so much and claimed to see so well, and yet failed to recognize God’s Son when he came. The law that responsibility is the other side of privilege is written into life. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 50)
The people wanted a conquering, reigning Messiah who would come in great military power to throw off the brutal yoke of Rome and establish a kingdom of justice and righteousness where God’s chosen people would have special favor. But Jesus did not come to conquer Rome but to conquer sin and death. He did not come to make war with Rome but to make peace with God for men. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 16-23, 261)
“No Roman soldier in the garrison of Jerusalem, who, standing at his post or sitting in his barrack-window, saw our Lord riding on an ass, could report to his centurion that He looked like one who came to wrest the kingdom of Judea out of the hands of the Romans, drive out Pontius Pilate and his legions from the tower of Antonia, and achieve independence for the Jews with the sword” (Bishop Ryle). How evident it was that His kingdom was “not of this world!” (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 664)
None could now complain that they knew not who He was. On a former occasion they had said to Him, “How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly” (10:24). But now all ground for ignorance was removed; by fulfilling the prophecies of Jacob, of Daniel, and of Zechariah, the Lord Jesus demonstrated that He was none other than Israel’s true king. It was His last public testimony to the nation! He was their “King” and in fulfillment of the plain declarations of their own Scriptures He here presented Himself before them. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 662)
Instead of finding people willing to lay hands on Jesus as a malefactor, and to deliver Him up into their power, they beheld a large multitude surrounding Him with joyful acclamations, and saluting Him as a King! Of course they could do nothing but sit still and see it. The least attempt to use violence against our Lord would have raised a tumult, and endangered their own lives. So that they were obliged to see their most hated enemy entering Jerusalem in triumph, like Mordecai led by Haman (Est 6:2). (J. C. Ryle, Expository thoughts on John, Vol. 2, 374)
“A prophet’s task is to reveal the fault lines, hidden beneath the comfortable surface of the worlds we invest for ourselves, the national myths as well as the little lies and delusions of control and security that get us through the day.” False prophets assure of peace when there is no peace. True prophets have the annoying habit of insisting that there is no peace just when we’ve convinced ourselves that everything is running smoothly. (Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk, Mars Hill Audio Journal, Vol 103)
There is a remarkable parallel between the ascension ceremony of the Emperor of Rome to divine status or the coronation of Caesar to his throne and the account of Jesus going to the cross as presented in Mark’s Gospel. Here are the points of comparison:
A- The Pretorium Guard of the Roman soldiers would assemble in the Pretorium to honor Caesar. (Mk 15:16)
B- A purple robe and a wreath crown from the god Jupiter would be placed on the emperor who was ascending to the throne of Caesar and being declared god. (Mk 15:17)
C- The Pretorium Guard would proclaim Caesar as “Hail Caesar, Lord and God”. (Mk 15:18, 19b)
D- A procession would then begin from the Pretorium to Capitaline “Head” Hill where Jupiter’s temple was located. This was called the Via Sacra. Along the way incense and the sacrifice to be made along with the instrument of sacrifice was part of the procession. (Mk 15:20-21)
E- Once they arrived at Capitaline Hill, (place of the skull) there the emperor was proclaimed, ”Lord and god”. (Mk 15:22, 39)
F- The emperor was then offered a cup of wine mixed with myrrh and he would then pour it out as he refused to drink it. (Mk 15:23)
G- The sacrifice was then offered (Mk 15:24a)
H- On the right and on the left of the emperor was located his officials, those who are with him. (Mk 15:27)
I- Then everyone would then wait for a sign from the gods that verified that the emperor had actually achieved god-like status. (Mk 15:33, 38) (Courtesy of the teaching of Ray VanderLaan)
II- Perverted hearts and minds with wrong expectations can cause us to fight against the very thing we say we want. (Jn 12:19; see also: Prov 3:5-6; Isa 55:8-9; Mt 8:28-34; 16:13-23; Mk 5:1-17)
This is not the picture of the Messiah that the people had in mind. They wanted someone to ride into town on a mighty steed and drive the Romans out. But Jesus identified with God’s Messiah, the Messiah who was to come in lowliness, meekness, and humility. Not surprisingly, the same people who cheered Him as He rode into Jerusalem screamed for His blood a few days later after He failed to give them what they wanted. This should be a lesson to all of us who come to Jesus with our agendas, making our demands of Him, only to become disappointed, angry, and sometimes bitter when He doesn’t do things the way we want Him to do them. (R.C. Sproul, John: An Expositional Commentary, 211)
But why should the disciples have been so puzzled and unable to understand “these things?” It was because they were so reluctant to think that this One who had power to work such mighty miracles should be put to a shameful death. To the very end, they had hoped He would restore the kingdom and establish His throne at Jerusalem. The honors of the kingdom attracted, the shame of the Cross repelled them: It was because of this that on the resurrection-morning He said to the two disciples, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:25, 26). Yes, there had to be the sufferings before the glory, the Cross before the Crown (cf. 1 Pt 1:11). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 666)
We think we are sincere lovers of truth, that we want progress, that we are ardent for the coming in of our Lord’s way of life. And yet how often truth and progress and Christ himself offer themselves to us; and we fail to recognize them; frankly do not like the look of them and will not have them. Not seldom we look God himself full in the face and say with complete confidence, “No, no, this is not God, is not the least like God”; and will not give him welcome, but turn him away. Often God’s thought in very deed are so unlike our thoughts that many a time they seem to us just futile and preposterous and silly. (George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol 8, 659)
The people wanted Jesus on their own terms, and they would not bow to a King who was not of their liking, even though He were the Son of God. They wanted Jesus to destroy Rome but not their cherished sins or their hypocritical, superficial religion. But He would not deliver them on their terms, and they would not be delivered on His. He was not a Messiah who came to offer a panacea of external peace in the world but to offer the infinitely greater blessing of internal peace with God. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 16-23, 262)
While the crowd correctly saw Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies, they did not understand where Jesus’ kingship would lead him. The people who were praising God for giving them a king had the wrong idea about Jesus. They expected him to be a national leader who would restore their nation to its former glory; thus, they were deaf to the words of their prophets and blind to Jesus’ real mission. When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to fulfill their hopes, many people would turn against him. A similar crowd would cry out, “Crucify him!” when Jesus stood on trial only a few days later. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Matthew, 410)
Jesus chose a peaceful entrance into Jerusalem. He restrained the crowd’s exuberance by his actions. He accepted their joy while recognizing that it was based on false assumptions. Jesus arrived as King, but not by the crowd’s definition. Their perspective was limited to the immediate historical moment: They wanted a political Messiah. Jesus insisted on remaining the timeless Savior. His contemporaries couldn’t see beyond the Roman occupation; Jesus saw the needs of the world held hostage to sin. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Matthew, 408)
The people wanted a conquering, reigning Messiah who would come in great military power to throw off the brutal yoke of Rome and establish a kingdom of justice and righteousness where God’s chosen people would have special favor. But Jesus did not come to conquer Rome but to conquer sin and death. He did not come to make war with Rome but to make peace with God for men. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 16-23, 261)
Taught by this example, let us learn to form our judgment of every thing that relates to Christ, not by our own carnal feelings, but by the Scripture. Besides, let us remember that it is a special favor of the Holy Spirit to instruct us in a gradual manner, that we may not be stupid in considering the works of God. (Calvin’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, Vol. II, 24)
Those who oppose Christ make a hopeless effort. People who have set out to discredit him have ended up bowing before him in worship. The Pharisees were right when they said “This is getting us nowhere.” They were only succeeding as far as their plan coincided with God’s plan. People can spend a lifetime resisting and rejecting Christ, only to discover that they have accomplished nothing but their own destruction. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 253)
Why, then, did Jesus enter Jerusalem as he did on Palm Sunday? There are several answers to that question, the first of which is that he came to die. . . . The second reason why Jesus entered Jerusalem as he did was that he might fulfill Scripture. . . . To my way of thinking the most important reason why Jesus entered Jerusalem, particularly when he did, was to show himself to be our Passover. That is, he wanted to exhibit himself as our Passover Lamb who was to take away the sins of the world. (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John, Vol. 3, 928, 929)
The Palm Sunday crowd was glad to proclaim Jesus king as long as the evidence about Jesus was compatible with their desires (on Palm Sunday). But, the minute the evidence about Jesus went contrary to what they desired (on Good Friday), they abandoned Jesus. We must become a slave to the truth, not its master. The truth will set you free (Jn 8:32), not the other way around. — PK
We must remember that Jesus was an outlaw and that the authorities were determined to kill him. All prudence would have warned him to turn back and make for Galilee or the desert places. If he was to enter Jerusalem at all, all caution would have demanded that he enter secretly and go into hiding; but he came in such a way as to focus every eye upon himself. It was an act of the most superlative courage, for it was the defiance of all that man could do; and it was an act of the most superlative love, for it was love’s last appeal before the end. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol. 2, 119)
That was a prophecy which had lingered in the Jewish mind; and the fulfillment of which they imagined, indeed took for granted, that they of course desired. Yet it describes a quite new type of king, with no proud trappings of royalty, heralded by no fanfare of trumpets, surrounded by no pomp and circumstance. “You say that this is what you want; but would you like him if he really came; and would you even recognize that it is he at all?” So Jesus challenged them. (George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol 8, 658)
These transports of joy from the Galileans were raised because they imagined that He would there and then set up His temporal kingdom. Hence, when their hopes were disappointed, their transports were turned into rage and therefore did they join in the cry of “crucify him”! (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 668)
The nation had wasted its opportunities; its leaders did not know the time of God’s visitation. They were ignorant of their own Scriptures. The next time Israel sees the King, the scene will be radically different (Rv 19:11 ff.)! He will come in glory, not in humility, and the armies of heaven will accompany Him. It will be a scene of victory as He comes to defeat His enemies and establish His kingdom. (Warren W. Wiersby, Be Alive, 189)
Like us, the apostles apprehended Divine things but slowly. Like us, they had to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” But mark, it does not say “these things believed not his disciples.” It is our privilege, as well as our bounden duty, to believe all God has said, whether we “understand” it or not. The more implicitly we believe, the more likely will God be pleased to honor our faith by giving us understanding (Heb 11:3). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 665)
Worship Point: With all expectancy we must worship the God Who made you and knows what you need to live life in all of its abundance. Give your expectations to Him and He will not disappoint you.
God would be way less than He is if He lined up with our expectations. — Ted Landel
Let us come to God’s house in freedom, ever expecting the power to descend upon us, and to have an experience of God and of Christ that will melt us, and move us, and break us, and make us forget ourselves. (David Martyn Lloyd-Jones; Revival)
I have left for church with a great sense of expectancy because I know Christ will be there. (Karen Burton Mains, Making Sunday Special, 109)
Obviously, unless the conception of God is something higher than a Magnification of our own Good Qualities, our service and worship will be no more and no less than the service and worship of ourselves. (J. B. Phillips, Your God is Too Small, 54)
The Church of our day is sadly lacking in that separation from the world. The intense attachment and obedience to Christ, the fellowship with His suffering and conformity to His death, and the devotion to Christ on the throne seem almost forgotten. Where is our confident expectation of the never-ceasing flow of living water from the throne of grace which gives the assurance that the fullness of the Spirit will not be withheld? No wonder the mighty power of God is seldom known and felt in our churches! (Andrew Murray, Receiving Power from God, 73)
Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate? (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 31)
Jesus will not be liked. You either bow down and worship Him as God or kill him as a lunatic and a heretic. But let us not come with any relationship with Jesus that is less than total commitment. Jesus says, “Crown me or kill me”. — Tim Keller
God receives our worship based upon Jesus’ having already offered to him the perfect sacrifice–himself–on our behalf. And all our subsequent worship of the Lord is received, not because we are now so sincere, but because the blood of the high priest Jesus has made it acceptable to God. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 310)
Will you love me and trust me even though I choose not to do everything you are counting on, planning for, hoping for and dreaming of for me to do for you? If not, you will never see me as your king.
If this experience has served to humble me and make me little and vile in my own eyes it is of God; but if it has given me a feeling of self-satisfaction it is false and should be dismissed as emanating from self or the devil. (A.W. Tozer, Man: The Dwelling Place of God, 128-29)
If Jesus had been content to claim to be a prophet, the probability is that he need never have died. But he could be satisfied with nothing less than the highest place. With Jesus, it is all or nothing. People must acknowledge him as king, or not receive him at all. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Gospel of Matthew, 282)
Gospel Application: Jesus was sent by God, on lamb selection day, as the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (Ex 12:1-6; Jn 1:29, 36; 1 Cor 5:7). Jesus was saying to all of us, “Choose me as your lamb for God” to fulfill all of God’s expectations of you.
You expect the source of your problems is outside of yourself. But, Jesus tells us that our greatest enemy is ourselves. — PK
Is he your Passover? Have you received him as your Savior? Say with Isaiah, “He was pierced for my transgressions, he was crushed for my iniquities; the punishment that brought me peace was upon him, and by his wounds I am healed” (Isa 53:5). Truly, “we all like sheep have gone astray,” but in accord with his grace “the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John, Vol. 3, 932)
Two things about the designation “lamb of God,” as applied to Jesus were most notable: He was declared to be the lamb of God and His sacrifice was for the world. All other lambs in the sacrificial system had been offered by men under the commandment of God; but as God had substituted His own provision, a Lamb, instead of Isaac who was under Abraham’s hand, so God in Jesus provided His own Lamb. All other sacrifices of a lamb had been limited to the nation or to the individual; but the sacrifice of Jesus was world-wide, embracing all humanity in its scope. He was to take away the sins of the world. The lamb was a worthy symbol of Jesus who in innocence patiently endured suffering as a substitute (Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19). (Merrill C. Tenney, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible: Vol. Three, 860)
If God did not take the initiative in salvation, no one would be saved, since sinners cannot seek Him on their own. Rom 3:10-12 sums up the sinner’s total inability: “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” “No one can come to Me,” Jesus said, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:44 cf. V. 65). “You did not choose Me,” Jesus told the disciples, “but I chose you” (15:16). Just as the physically blind are incapable of restoring their own sight, so also the spiritually dead and blind cannot live or see by their own will or power. Salvation depends on God’s initiative, power, and sovereign grace (cf. 1:12-13). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: John, 412)
There, on the edge of the garden of Eden, it was one lamb for one man. Centuries later, in Egypt, God told Moses to have each family kill the Passover lamb and sprinkle its blood upon the lintel and doorposts of the house. There was to be one lamb for one house, a gracious picture of the household promises so precious to us. Still later, the Lord told Moses to kill one lamb for the nation of Israel on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, foreshadowing that time when God would restore Israel to the land and rule the world through that nation. But there was an even wider circle; John the Baptist pointed to Jesus Christ and announced, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). Thus we have the progression: one lamb for one man; one lamb for one family; one lamb for the nation; and one Lamb for the world. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Glory, 65-6)
Through the vicarious death of sacrificial animals, the Israelite accepted the provision of forgiveness and salvation. Similarly, through the vicarious death of Christ, the Christian accepts the provision of His redemption. As the blood of the Passover lamb kept God from killing the firstborn of the Hebrews, so the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross keeps God from punishing with death the penitent sinner. (Samuele Bacchiocchi, God’s Festivals in Scripture and History, 69-70)
The time had come at last when Christ was to die for the sins of the world. The time had come when the true Passover Lamb was to be slain, when the true blood of atonement was to be shed, when Messiah was to be “cut off” according to prophecy (Dan 9:26), when the way into the holiest was to be opened by the true High Priest to all mankind. Knowing all this, our Lord purposely drew attention to Himself. Knowing this, He placed Himself prominently under the notice of the whole Jewish nation. It was only meet and right that this thing should not be “done in a corner” (Acts 26:26). If ever there was public, it was the sacrifice which He offered up on the cross of Calvary. He died at the time of year when all the tribes were assembled at Jerusalem for the Passover feast. (J. C. Ryle, Expository thoughts on John, Vol. 2, 365)
Because most people in this modern age have almost no sense of God there is also almost no sense of “sin”–for in human experience there is a significant connection between the two. Where the sense of God becomes something like a reality there springs up, sooner or later, a sense of guilt and failure. This is equally true of the most primitive as well as of the most highly developed religious of mankind. And where there is this sense of sin there is a deeply rooted conviction that “something ought to be done about it.” Animal, even human, sacrifices, propitiatory offerings of various kinds and acts of ceremonial cleansing–all testify to the desire to “do something” to bridge the moral gulf between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. (J. B. Phillips, Your God is Too Small, 97)
Spiritual Challenge: Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. (Prv 3:5) Give your expectations to Him. (Ps 5:3; 62:5; Mt 20:10; 24:44, 50; Lk 6:34-35; 7:19-20; 12:40, 46) Fight against trusting and embracing expectations, presuppositions, or assumptions that come from human sources. . . . especially yourself. God will blow you away when He delivers what He has promised. What did you expect of God? (Isa 64:4; Rom 8:18-25; 1 Cor 2:9; 2 Cor 4:7-5:10; Eph 3:20-21; 1 Pt 1:3-9; 2 Pt 1:4)
They did not humbly learn a theology from scripture; they used scripture to defend a theology which they themselves had produced. There is still danger that we should use the Bible to prove our beliefs and not to test them. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, 198)
They read it (the Scriptures) not to search for God but to find arguments to support their own positions. They did not really love God; they loved their own ideas about him. (William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: John, 198)
They loved their own opinions about the Word of God. And that wrong self-love kept them from loving God. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 173)
We must always beware of prejudice. We must never read the Scriptures without praying. We should never approach them without asking the Holy Spirit to lead us and to guide us and to direct us. We should deliberately humble ourselves, we should talk to ourselves and say, Now why am I going to the Scriptures? Am I going there only to find arguments to support my case, or am I going there to be instructed, to be enlightened, to have my eyes opened to the truth of God? We should always try to come as little children and be ready to find that we are wrong. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 9, 321)
We humans have a fatal tendency to try to adjust the truth to fit our desires rather than adjusting our desires to fit the truth. (Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 32)
Nothing shuts out Divine illumination so effectively as prejudice and pride: nothing tends to blind the heart more than egotism. “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise” (1 Cor 3:18); “Proud, knowing nothing” (1 Tm 6:4). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 500-01)
What the world needs is not knowledge; it is not teaching; it is not information; it is not medical treatment; it is not psychotherapy; it is not social progress; it is not punishment, even. It is none of these things.
What men and women need is a new heart, a new nature, a nature that will hate darkness and love the light, instead of loving the darkness and hating the light. They need an entire renovation, and, blessed be the name of God, it is the very thing that God offers in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Son of God came and took unto himself human nature. He united it to himself in order that he night give us that nature. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones; God’s Way, Not Ours: Isaiah 1, 67)
The formula is simple: when relativism holds sway long enough, everyone begins to do what is right in his own eyes without any regard for submission to truth. In this atmosphere, a society begins to break down. Virtually every structure in a free society depends on a measure of integrity–that is, submission to the truth. When the chaos of relativism reaches a certain point, the people will welcome any ruler who can bring some semblance of order and security. So a dictator steps forward and crushes the chaos with absolute control. Ironically relativism–the great lover of unfettered freedom–destroys freedom in the end. (John Piper, Think, 114)
The findings “imply that the government can provide extra layers of security . . . that might help people cope with future needs, both expected and unexpected, and as such, might reduce dependence on God or other supernatural entities,” researchers wrote. (“Religion as an Exchange System: The Interchangeability of God and Government in a Provider Role” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin; April 12th, 2018. as quoted by Jared Gilmour; Government vs. God? People are less religious when government is bigger, research says – searched May 31st, 2018)
For what do you expect Government to be governing? Many young modern Americans expect government to govern our health care, our income, our education, our food, our emotional well-being, as well as keeping the peace ad promoting justice. Do you know what God in His Word outlines as the responsibility of government? Maintain the peace and promote justice. — PK
Probably did not come from Thomas Jefferson but reflects his concerns: “A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.”
Thomas Jefferson did say in a letter addressed to Edward Carrington (May 27th, 1788) The natural process of things is for liberty to yield and government to grow.
Far too many Christians are being transformed by our culture rather than by Christ. Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness has been perverted into seeking our own kingdom and everything else we can get our hands on. (Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity In Crisis, 186)
Contempt is conceived with expectations. Respect is conceived with expressions of gratitude. We can choose which one we will obsess over–expectations, or thanksgivings. That choice will result in a birth–and the child will be named either contempt, or respect. (Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage, 67)
Christian living, therefore, must be founded upon self-abhorrence and self-distrust because of indwelling sin’s presence and power. Self-confidence and self-satisfaction argue self-ignorance. The only healthy Christian is the humble, broken-hearted Christian. (J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 196)
Who are those who are most likely to be taken in by authority? We answer: the foolish. But who are the foolish? The answer to that question is not necessarily “those who are uneducated” and most certainly not “those who are aware of their own lack of knowledge.” The answer is those who are overly sure of what they think they know. Thus, you will find professors being swept up into foolish theories by other professors, and ministers being led into nonsense concerning Christ by doctors of theology. (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John, Vol. 3, 715)
The dangerous assumption we unknowingly accept in the American dream is that our greatest asset is our own ability. The American dream prizes what people can accomplish when they believe in themselves and trust in themselves, and we are drawn toward such thinking. But the gospel has different priorities. The gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in God and to trust in his power. In the gospel, God confronts us with our utter inability to accomplish anything of value apart from him. (David Platt, Radical, 46)
To blame others for our failures is to live in unresolved bitterness and to cause frustrations over influences beyond your control. To blame yourself is to live in hope and expectations of “doing it better” next time.
As long as we look for our needs to be met by persons, we will always be disappointed. This is especially true in marriage relationships, because such an expectation imposes a terrible burden upon one’s partner. No person is perfect; no one can take the place of God in our lives. Rather, in Christian marriage and in true community we learn together that we will find our needs thoroughly met only in our relationship with God. Our alienation from him prevents us from discerning ways in which other persons can minister to our needs. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 86)
Faith in God does not make troubles disappear; it makes troubles appear less frightening because it puts them in the right perspective. Don’t expect everyone to react favorably when you share something as dynamic as your faith in Christ. (NIV Study Bible comments on Acts 5:17,18)
Spiritual Challenge Questions:
- Knowing our expectations and our pre-suppositions can blind us to reality, what precautions can we take to head-off this blindness?
- Is it possible to recognize when we have been deceived and have begun to fight against the very things we say we want? Why or why not? How can we prevent being deceived?
- How can proper expectations make our worship more effective? Sincere?
- How can proper expectations provide a better quality of life? How do we even know if our expectations are proper or not?
So What?: You want to live life with hope, courage and fulfilment and be spared disappointment, despair and frustration? Give your expectations to God. Trust in the God as revealed in the Bible; not the imaginary god of your own expectations, assumptions and demands. (Rom 8:19)
Wouldn’t it be great if God always gave you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows? We do have a God like that. — Tim Keller
The hardest thing to give is in. (Tim Keller; Following Christ)
The popular practice of demanding things from God and expecting Him to meet those demands is perverted and heretical, and attempt to sway God’s perfect and holy will to one’s own imperfect and sinful will. Paul sought the advancement of God’s kingdom and glory through God’s own will, not his own. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Romans 1-8, 41)
Faith means taking the bare Word of God and acting upon it because it is the Word of God. It means believing what God says simply and solely because He has said it. — David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does all of this talk of the coming and going of ideas mean? It means this, both in the twentieth and in the twenty-first centuries: The prevailing worldviews did not and cannot offer real answers. Modernity says, “Hope in man.” That doesn’t work. Postmodernity says, “Abandon hope.” That doesn’t work either. Humanity cannot live without hope. (Stephen J. Nichols, A Time for Confidence, 124)
Whenever we mix our own opinions with the Word of God, faith degenerates into frivolous conjectures. (John Calvin; Calvin’s Commentaries: Vol XVII, 234)
You expected this world to satisfy all your desires? C. S. Lewis writes: “The Christian Way — The Christian says, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same”. (C. S. Lewis; Mere Christianity, 120)
Though Christ was still at a distance, yet the Prophet exhorted the godly men of that age to be glad and joyful, because Christ was to come. Behold, said he, thy King will come; therefore fear not. Now that he is come, in order that we may enjoy his presence, we ought more vigorously to contend with fear, that, freed from our enemies, we may peacefully and joyfully honor our King. (Calvin’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, Vol. II, 23)
God will inevitably appear to disappoint the man who is attempting to use Him as a convenience, a prop, or a comfort, for his own plans. God has never been known to disappoint the man who is sincerely wanting to co-operate with His own purposes. (J. B. Phillips, Your God is Too Small, 49)
If we are really seeing in human relationships fragmentary and faulty but real reflections of the Nature of God, a flood of light is immediately released upon all the life that we can see. People, and our relationships with them, at once become of tremendous importance. Much of life is seen to be merely its setting, its stage, its “props”–the business of it is in the realm of personality: it is people not things that matter. It is thus quite impossible to divorce Christianity from life. Those who attempted to divorce the religion of their day from ordinary life were called by Christ, “play-actors” (hypocrites), i.e. they were acting a part and not really living at all. (J. B. Phillips, Your God is Too Small, 88-9)
Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither. It seems a strange rule, but something like it can be seen at work in other matters. Health is a great blessing, but the moment you make health one of your main, direct objects you start becoming a crank and imagining there is something wrong with you. You are only likely to get health provided you want other things more–food, games, work, fun, open air. In the same way, we shall never save civilization as long as civilization is our main object. We must learn to want something else even more. (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 118-9)
Jesus came the first time to change our hearts so when He comes the second time His reformed Kingdom will have suitable constituents. — PK
JESUS:
THE LAMB of GOD
