I Did Not See That Coming!

Today’s Scripture Passage:

Mark 11:1-11 & 15:6-15

Key Verse:

Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Mark 15:12-14

When my sister was about six-years-old, she wanted a bunny bank for Christmas. This wasn’t just any old bunny bank. It was one that looked real; with a velvety coat and everything.

My parents bought it, put it inside a little purse they thought she would like, and wrapped it up. She was so excited about the present under the tree, but when she opened her present on Christmas morning everything changed. She didn’t see the bunny bank and started crying. My parents showed her he was inside the purse, but she never got over her initial disappointment. She refused to use the purse or the bank. She received two gifts in one, but she never enjoyed either.

I’m currently using the Chronological Life Application Study Bible for my daily Bible reading. This Bible puts everything in chronological order of events. That means I read all four gospel accounts of the Triumphal Entry back-to-back. That was the first Palm Sunday.

We know the whole story, but the people celebrating on that first Palm Sunday did not. The excitement was high. Everyone was throwing palms and coats down for Jesus to ride through the streets of Jerusalem. They were celebrating His coming kingdom. Well, they were celebrating what they expected His Kingdom to be.

What were they expecting?

Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom that freed them from Roman rule.

What He gave them was so much more.

He took back His authority as King of heaven and earth, and He paid for mankind’s freedom from sin and death.

Their disappointment over dashed expectations turned their shouts of praise to angry rejection in a matter of days. They were soon shouting for Jesus to be crucified.

Reading this account repeatedly helped me realize we can do the very same thing. We can allow our expectations to cloud our ability to see God’s gifts to us. We too can put Him in the box of our own expectations.

Yes, we need to know what we want from the LORD, and we need to ask. His word is clear about the importance of asking for what we need and asking on behalf of others.

Let’s pause for a second and think about what is it we want the LORD to do for us. For a loved one. For our church family. Our country.

Now for the really hard questions…

Are we limiting God’s answer to only yes, no or wait? Are we unwilling for His answer to come in a different way than we envision?

Are we refusing to see the good things He’s doing all around us because He gives them in a different package than we expected?

Are we going to accuse Him of not loving us? Not caring about us? Being weak? Will we reject what He gives us unless it meets our expectations of what is right and good?

I hope not, because we will be missing all sorts of wonderful things.

Of course, the greatest gift He’s given to all people is the offer of citizenship in His heavenly kingdom. His kingdom is eternal and He’s paid the price for our sin so there’s nothing to prevent us from being citizens except our willingness to acknowledge Him as King of heaven and earth and our need for freedom from sin.

If you’re not yet a citizen of heaven, please do not reject Jesus because He does things differently than you would do them. There’s more on how you can become a citizen of heaven in the green section below.

If you’ve already received your heavenly citizenship, you cannot lose your citizenship! Once a citizen, always a citizen! But citizens can still miss out on the freedom and joy of living for and following Jesus.

We can refuse to see and receive what the LORD gives us. My sister was still my parent’s daughter and still part of our family, but she lost all her joy and was miserable all Christmas day and into the following weeks.

Jesus is the Creator and King of the world. He knows more than we ever will and His ways are far above anything we can ask or imagine. So let’s expect great things from Him, but…

Let’s be careful not to put Him in the box of our expectations.

LORD, You are all-powerful, good, kind, loving, and gentle. Thank You for making us Your prized possessions. Thank You for hearing us when we talk to You. Help us remember not to limit You with our understanding or reject the good gifts You give to us. Help us embrace the unexpected and open our eyes to see Your good gifts all around us. Soothe our hurting hearts when we don’t understand what You’re doing. Enable us to trust You more than our feelings or our limited understanding of what You’re doing.

Digging Deeper:

Isaiah 55:8-9, Jeremiah 29: 11-13, Matthew 22:1-11 & 27:6-15, Luke 19:28-40 & 23:13-25, John 1:1, John 12:12-19 & 19:6-15, James 1:16-18

Friend, would you like to find out how you can be a citizen of heaven? You can use the following link to find out just how to change your citizenship for eternity and live in the freedom and joy Jesus has for you right now. Please let me know if you choose to become a citizen of heaven. I’m praying for you, Friend. https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.