Expectations
In almost every element of our life, we approach things with some form of expectations. Some are intentional and we are conscious of them. Others are unwritten but we subconsciously hold to. This is true for new jobs, friendships, marriages, children, churches, etc. It can also be true in our faith as we approach God. And dare I say, some of the expectations we bring to the Lord are not grounded in reality. As a result, they set us up for disappointment and consequences.
Read the following passage and see if you can pick up on the false expectations of Herod Antipas as he encountered Jesus face-to-face for the first time.
“When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” Luke 23:8–9
Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. He ruled for over 40 years in the areas of Galilee and the Jordan River. He knew about Jesus. He had heard the stories about Jesus. But he had never met Him until this day. And when he did finally meet Him, Herod was “pleased” and filled with anticipation that he would see Jesus do something spectacular. So when Jesus appeared, Herod relentlessly peppered Him with questions, trying to prompt Jesus to give him what he was looking for. But Jesus did not respond. Without seeing or hearing what he expected from Jesus, Herod quickly changed his attitude and began to ridicule and mock Him.
Today, people still come to Jesus with false expectations. And unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning Christians and churches feed this mentality. We can directly or indirectly send the message that if you come to church and give your life to Christ, you can expect that…
God will fix all your problems
God will affirm your lifestyle and choices (even the ones that contradict His Word)
God will give you a purpose without any cost to you
God will grant you success in all your endeavors
God will shield you from all pain and hardship
The truth is, sometimes the Lord does do these things. He does answer prayers and fix problems. Sometimes, in spite of our sin, He gives us affirmation of His love. He brings purpose to our lives. He can elevate us to levels of success we never imagined. And He is our refuge and our shield, who sometimes delivers us from situations and circumstances that could overwhelm us.
But on the other hand, Jesus also tells us that straight, narrow, and hard is the road that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13–14). He tells us to take up our cross (Luke 9:23). He says we must lose our life in order to find it (Mark 8:35). He calls us to follow Him, which sometimes means walking through suffering and hardship just as He did.
The point I’m trying to make is that we can come to God expecting Him to make our lives better, smoother, and easier, as if He exists for us. But Scripture turns that idea upside down. We exist for Him. When we place God at the center, it’s no longer about us and as a result we enter into a place of surrender. And paradoxically, that’s where life often begins to make sense. We start to see His hand at work, not because He’s serving our agenda, but because we’re aligned with His.
We are then free to pray in faith, asking God to do big things in our lives. But we don’t do so with a demanding spirit or the false expectation that everything we want is always His will or even in our best interest. Rather, we ask for God’s blessings with the understanding that His ways are often not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). And when He leads us down paths we would rather avoid, or does not answer our requests the way we had hoped, we still follow and trust—knowing that He is God, and we are not.
Herod encountered Jesus face-to-face, but he made a fatal mistake. He expected Jesus to serve him rather than recognizing that he was there to serve Jesus. He wanted Jesus to fulfill his desires while he maintained control. When Jesus did not meet that expectation, Herod rejected Him.
Herod lived another 5–6 years after this event. But eventually, death came to him, as it comes to us all. And when that happened, he no doubt encountered Jesus once again. Only this time, the question wasn’t what Jesus would do for him, but what he had done with Jesus.
