Expectations & Disappointments

As rational human beings, it is natural of us to have expectations. They have a way of affecting our outlook and behavior. They create a framework for how we think the world and life should be. When expectations are not met, they lead to disappointment, disillusionment, or even bitterness. 

This week’s text takes us to John the Baptist while he was imprisoned. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ who Isaiah spoke about as “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isaiah 40:3). As the forerunner, he had expectations of who he thought the coming Messiah was and what he was doing. Instead, he found himself in prison and possibly confused. So, he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus himself, if he was the “expected one” or is there going to be someone else (Matthew 11:2-3). 

Many of us, like John, miss the big picture of who Jesus is, the simple truth of who Jesus is, when we do not see the big picture of “Simply Jesus,” which is at the root of disappointments.