Disappointed with God

[Passages: Mt 21:1-10; Mk 11:1-10; Lu 19:29-40; Jn 12:12-19]

Have you ever been truly disappointed with something or someone? In life, we are often let down by others. New government authorities take office promising change but none comes. Businesses create products like software or electronics that is meant to make our life easier but often creates more work. People let us down too. They make promises that they don’t keep. They speak behind our back and treat us unfairly. They claim to be a friend and yet treat us like an enemy. People who claim to be followers of Christ let us down. They speak as though they know and follow God but by their very lifestyle deny the things that they said they believed in.

Have you ever experienced such frustrations?

We all have. In today's passage of Scripture we are going to look at once is called the Triumphal Entry of Jesus. Jesus is nearing the end of His life. In just under a week He will be crucified. Yet, prior to this event He is brought to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The crowds recognize Him as the forthcoming Messiah. On a previous trip to Jerusalem, Jesus had prophecized that they would (Lu 13:35). Yet, it is these very same people who will be responsible for killing Him later in the week. How can it be that the very same people who praise Him on one day would be responsible for murdering Him the next? How could it be that they will allow a convicted murderer to be set free in order to murder an innocent man? These are the questions we want to examine today in order to discover what truths this story might present for us in our lives. So, let's review what has happened in Mark 11: 1-10.

As Jesus nears Jerusalem, He is approaching Jerusalem from the East side of the city. The road He is traveling on is the main road from Jericho to Jerusalem. It stretches up and over the Mount of Olives and then into the city (Matt Lu 19:29). Along the way are several small towns called Bethpage and Bethany. These two towns are very significant.

Bethpage is actually a village district near Bethany. Bethpage is located about 1.5 miles from Jerusalem on the ascent up the Mount of Olives or Olivet.

Bethany is located on the descent of the mountain. You may recall that Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus stayed often in their home when traveling to Jerusalem. It was Mary whom had washed Jesus' feet with her tears (Lu 7:37) It was Martha whom had complained because Mary had chosen to listen to Jesus' teachings instead of help her in the kitchen (Lu 10:38-42). It was also their brother Lazarus whom had been raised from the dead (Jn 11:1-46).

Therefore, many of these people are familiar with Jesus and they begin to go ahead of Him and follow Him praising God for sending Him. They begin proclaiming that He is the Messiah. The Gospel of Matthew in 11:10-11 tells us that these people stirred up the people of Jerusalem. The city is at a fever pitch. They believe that He is their long awaited Christ. Therefore, they begin breaking down branches from the fields and placing their coats along the side of the road.

This was an even bigger deal when we consider that there would have been even more people in the city than usual. Jesus, His disciples, and many others had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast. Therefore, people were coming out to Him and proclaiming Him to be the One they had waited a long time for. This upsets the Pharisees who ask Jesus to shut them up. Jesus replies to them that if He would do so, that even the rocks would cry out and praise Him. In fact, in John's account they actually say to themselves, "Look, the whole world has gone after Him" (Jn 12:19).

So, with all of this hype and excitement and energy, why would they decide to kill Him later the same week? It was because of unmet expectations. There were 3 major expectations that we can see from this morning's passage that lead us to believe that many became unimpressed with Jesus after He had come into the city. Many, expecting Him to do something completely different, became angry and felt betrayed. For these reasons, they were extremely disappointed.

Let's take a look at what those expectations were. They desired to be rescued. When a person is lost at sea, a call is sent out to be saved. What is it? That's right. S.O.S. It is an acronym that means "Save Our Souls". We are going to use it to help us remember 3 expectations that appeared to be unmet....

1. An Expectation to Save.

The Hebrew word "Hosanna" means "save" or more pointedly "Save now!". Thus, the primary expectation that the people were shouting for was for salvation. They desired to be saved. There was an expectation to save. The next logical question should be "What did they desire to be saved from?".

2. An Expectation to Overthrow.

The Jewish idea of the forthcoming Messiah was one of literal, public ruler ship. Therefore, they expected Jesus to overthrow the tyrannical Roman government that was in power at the time. The song of praise that they lift up is in an effort to proclaim the king who had come to establish His kingdom. In John's account (Jn 12:13) they add "even the King of Israel". Their expectation was political and their motivation was the political freedom that they expected to receive. Therefore, there was an expectation to overthrow the Roman government.

3. An Expectation to Sit.

Finally, they expected Jesus to sit upon David's throne. Both Matthew and Mark give descriptions of Jesus as the Son of David. He was expected to overtake the political throne, establish His own ruler ship, and reign forever upon David's seat. Therefore, there was an expectation to sit upon the throne of David.

Each of these three expectations were not met in the way they had expected. Thinking that Jesus would come into the city and immediately establish His kingdom on Earth through a political office, they were disappointed when it did not occur.

Have you ever been disappointed with God?

Many times in our lives, we too, can become dissatisfied and disappointed with God. Did anyone think that when they became a Christian that God would remove all temptation from their life and that they would never sin again? At least not as they had? I did. Yet, after my conversion I became disappointed to learn that this simply was not the case.

Maybe you or someone you know thought that God would take away all of your problems after you became saved? You thought your financial, marital, or family problems would be magically cured only to learn that it would not happen that way.

Have you ever been disappointed with God?

It might be that you prayed and prayed for God to change a situation and He didn’t. It might be that you prayed and prayed for God to heal you or someone you loved and He didn’t.

If any of these ring a bell, its because you, like the people in this story, had expectations that seemed to be unmet. Your dissatisfaction with God took you through a time in which your faith was tested. Maybe you're here today and that period of time kept you from becoming a Christian.

These people were disappointed and we can become disappointed too.

Yet, the story didn’t end with the death of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus rose again. In doing so, we come to understand that God has a plan that is bigger than what we can see. His ways are beyond us. Jesus did come into Jerusalem as the long appointed Messiah. He did become King and sit on a throne. Yet, His kingdom was not of this world and His throne was not a physical one.

When our expectations are not in line with God's we are going to be disappointed. It is critical to understand that as Christians our expectations must be in sync with God's. We learn them through His Word. If you have ever been disappointed, I encourage you to search your heart and give it back over to God.

If you have never excepted God then today is the day to give your life to Him. Jesus does not promise that He will take away all temptations and problems. He might but He does not promise this. Often these things are used to test our commitment to Him. Yet, He promises to see us through and to give us Eternal Life in the process.

Don’t be like the people in this story. Recognize that your Lord and Savior has come. He came "gentle and riding on a donkey". He is Lord. Call out to Him to save your soul.

I promise, you will not be disappointed.