“Expectations”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Matthew 13:53-58 (Forward, p. 10) CEV p. 1000

It is sad to say but far too often people are judged, and often prematurely, by the expectations that others have of them. Thus, such things as the advance publicity or reputation, previous contacts, or family history can shape and even warp how well a person is received.

This is certainly true of His hometown’s recaption of Himself when Jesus came back to Nazareth. They figured that they knew all about Him and knew what to expect of Him. For this reason, seeing as He had never exhibited any particular ‘promise’ while growing up there, His wisdom and His miracles especially astounded them.

And furthermore, there was nothing in His family background that would give any hint or expectation of greatness. They all knew where He came from, His parents and siblings, and there was no indication there. Furthermore, He was ‘just’ the son of a carpenter, so where did He ‘get off’ on assuming He was something else, a preacher and teacher no less? And so they took offence at Him and refused to have faith in Him. And so, they lost out and lost out bigtime.

So, what about our expectations of God, of Jesus? Are there ways that we limit them by virtue of what we have heard or read, or because of what we have experienced? Are there ways that we have limited them, ways that we have somehow limited our faith or our trust in them? This surely is something worth considering, worth praying about.

And what about our expectations of ourselves, or of those around us, our family and friends, or of our local communities and churches? Do we limit any of them on the basis of past experience or reputation or habit? Again, this is something worth pondering, for God might well have far greater expectations of any of us and might even have surprises in store should we only believe!

Forward notes: “And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief” (verse 58).

“During a break in a long recording session, our producer/ cellist told us about an experience of being onstage, ‘waiting for my band to screw up. And they always did.’ After a moment, I quoted the above passage.

“If Jesus didn’t perform under the scrutiny of skeptical eyes and the judgment of unbelieving hearts, what hope do the rest of us have to excel when we have everyone’s low expectations to live down to? People surrounded by indifference, hostility, and low expectations are like crabs in a bucket; when one crab tries to crawl out, the rest pull it back in. If we are wondering why we so rarely see miracles, maybe that’s why.”

Moving Forward: “Be honest: do you lift others up or tear them down?”