Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Matthew 11:2-3 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
Generally we have compassion and sympathy when people injure themselves, but there are times when that sympathy can be stretched. For example, if you see a child tugging on a dog's ear and generally being a nuisance to it, and you give warning, but five minutes later the child complains about being nipped by the dog, a common reaction might be, "What did you expect?" If a teenager plays video games for 8 hours straight and then complains about a headache, once again the question might rightfully be, "What did you expect?" On the other hand, sometimes people are surprised when they set about to follow God's will in their lives and find themselves blessed. In the aforementioned cases and many others there should really be no surprises. Results came as advertised.
One of the great attributes about our God is that there aren't any such surprises with Him. He is consistent in doing what He says. When people questioned whether or not Jesus was the Messiah, and in Matthew 11 we find that question coming from John the Baptist himself, Jesus basically says, "What did you expect?" The markers for the Messiah were laid out so that He could be readily identified by His word and works. This is also true of the prophets of the Messiah, namely those who proclaim His Word. There are certain markers and expectations that the Lord has laid out as well.
At this time of year it is a good thing for us to consider what we can and should expect at Christmas. Many people are disappointed after the heady expectations of the perfect holiday. Yet Christmas brings to you the reminder that you have a Savior from sin. That is an incredibly high expectation to have, but one that is readily fulfilled by our God.
