“And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”” Mark 11:9-10 ESV
Reflection: what are your expectations for the return of Christ?
Millions of people in the United States had very high hopes as the Obama administration took office. You might remember seeing slogans like “Hope” and “Change” all over during the campaign. The country had just gone through a difficult period after 9/11, with wars and financial hardships. And, many hoped for changes. This new charismatic leader appeared what seemed to be “out of nowhere”. But, as we all know in hindsight, most of the hopes were crushed. Much of what was promised didn’t happen. And, in a very different chapter of history, we find ourselves almost in the same situation once more, of many disappointments with the current administration. We can argue that it is better, but what seems consistent, however, is that we cannot put our trust in man. The problems we see in our societies, in the world, are deeply rooted in evil, in the sinfulness of man.
When we read about Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, we see the excitement of the disciples, His followers, and large crowds of people, declaring the coming of a kingdom. The kingdom that was prophesied and promised for hundreds of years, that someday, the kingdom of David would be restored. The religious class, the Pharisees and the religious leaders had been talking about this kingdom, week after week, year after year, building up expectations in the people. That someday the king would come. They showed through prophecy even where this king would be born. The people had been waiting. They had made up all sorts of stories from the teachings of their leaders. How great it was going to be when their king, their messiah, would finally arrive. How they would once more conquer their enemies. And now, after seeing and hearing Jesus, they decided to declare that
The King is here!
They were ready to usher in a new age. A new kingdom. The kingdom of their father David. And while that actually was true, sadly as we all know, their expectations had been totally misplaced, by the religious leaders and their own selfish motives. Jesus was not at all the king they expected, nor who they actually wanted. We know that they not only rejected Him,
But, they killed Him, the King.
We know of course this was all part of a bigger plan of atonement. But, there is a deep connection here that we all need to reflect carefully on. It is easy for us to point fingers at those who rejected Him back then, who had such wrong expectations of the King, and the kingdom of heaven, that they could not see what was happening right in front of them. And, while some did see it, like the disciples who followed Him, but also the religious leaders who still rejected Him. The truth is that, we too, have expectations of the King, of the Kingdom. So, let’s think about what those are. What are our expectations? Some people expect Jesus to just take all His true followers away in a “rapture”, and leave the rest here to fend for themselves. Some think that the reign of Christ will start immediately here on earth in a “millenial kingdom” when He appears again. Some have other ideas of what it will be like. We have many thoughts, many expectations of His return, of His Kingdom and reign. So how can we better align our own expectations with what it truly will be like? Perhaps the question we should wrestle with is,
Are we truly seeking the heart of our King?
We have so much we can learn about Him whom we are waiting for, by just studying the Bible. We can learn about the heart of our Savior, if we truly seek Him with our whole heart. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 ESV. Let’s seek Him so that our expectations of His kingdom and His reign are according to His heart.
