Expectations #4: Make sure they rooted in reality, all of it.

Our Expectations Need To Be Firmly Rooted In Reality. Sometimes That's Much More Than We Think.

It's Good Friday, here on Guam, where I live and work. As I have often done, over the years, I'm preparing for Easter on Good Friday, so my thoughts are jumping ahead. Before I make that leap, though, I want the reality of Christ's death, the event we remember on this day, as well as the ugliness of the world we live in--both sides of the globe--to sink in. A quick survey of the four Gospels indicates that there is no doubt that Jesus was dead. Matthew records, "Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit." He goes on to say, "Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb . . . and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. (Matthew 27:50, 27:59–60) Mark gives insight into Pilate's thinking. It hadn't been a pleasant day. He didn't want anything else to go wrong. "Pilate wondered if "He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead." (Mark 15:44) Luke assures us that there were many witnesses. "[A]ll the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts." (Luke 23:48) John records the cruel efficiency of the Romans. This wasn't their first crucifixion. On this day because of the impending Jewish Holy Day, that would begin at sunset, they needed to hasten the death of the crucified men, "So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." (John 19:32-34) Make no mistake, Jesus was dead. That was the reality that Jesus followers had to deal with. What could they expect now? I'm not looking for sympathy, but the reality of the ministry in which I'm involved is pretty dark. We struggle against some tough realities. As I am typing, Kathy is sharing in my right ear about a friend of a friend who just took her life. We are praying for a family, whose loved one died in a tragic wreck. A fine pastor just resigned, because he is fighting cancer. The reason I am in this job is because my predecessor, a wonderfully capable leader, found out that he has T-cell Lymphoma. As Cornelius Plantinga so eloquently reminds us, this world is "not the way it's supposed to be." I don't know the nature of the particular darkness you are facing, but I know you are facing it because you live in this dark world. It was in the early morning darkness that some women made their way to the tomb where Jesus was buried. In a perverse twist of the knife of darkness, there hadn't been time to properly prepare Jesus body for His burial. Mark and Luke report that the women were on their way to the tomb, bringing what they needed to finish the task that had been cut short on Friday evening. "Where are you women going?" one might ask. "We are going to Jesus tomb." They would sadly reply. "Joseph and Nicodemus didn't have time to properly embalm Jesus' body when they took him down from the cross. We are going to finish the task." "Is that all?" "What else is there? It's all that's left. It's all that we can do, and it's what we must do." The reality of a world, where nothing is really as it should be, a world that "lies in the power of the wicked one," who has freedom to go where he will, and seemingly power to do as he chooses (here), presses in on all of us. That's one reason I've been telling you to not expect too much. Don't expect what you, or someone you trust, can't control. Don't go all Mickey Mouse in thinking that this world is a machine where you put dreams in one end and happy endings come out the other. I admire these women. Not only were their feet walking the road in Israel, they were firmly planted in reality. They were almost right--ALMOST. Stick a fork in it. It's done. Put a period on it and go on. It may not be what you want, but it's as good as it gets. These women expected to properly embalm their Rabbi's body and then go on with life--to live in the new reality that His death had thrust upon them. They had put a lid on their expectations. In doing so, though, they put the lid on too soon. Just a few minutes beyond our imaginary interview they were confronted with a shocking revelation that rocked the real world. Jesus wasn't dead. Jesus isn't dead! and that reality continues to rock the world that you and I live in. Make sure that your expectations are based in reality, but make sure you include all the reality in your expectations. Have a blessed Good Friday and Easter. It's STTA.