To Hell With Expectations: The God Who Came as a Servant

When we consider the idea of a Savior what do we think of?

I'm sure the Hebrew people imagined the Lion of Judah, the Jealous God. They imagined a King of Kings, coming to rescue them from oppression under the Roman Empire. A King coming to bring them into a new era where they would never again have to be subject to a third party system. They imagined no more heavy taxes which took over half of their salary. They saw a Jerusalem rising up to be the capital of the world as this new King took the throne.

They never imagined a child born in a food troth in a barn during tax season. They never would have dreamed that their "King" would be beaten, flogged, mocked and ultimately crucified by the Roman Empire they thought he would destroy.

They never thought their Savior would usher in a Kingdom of God where "the first shall be last." They certainly wouldn't have guessed he would tell them "love your enemy" and teach forgiveness like it was going out of style.

It wouldn't have even crossed their mind that their King would be the image of God come as a servant to save them, not from Rome, but from their sins. It would seem impossible to them that the King of Kings would kneel like a servant to wash His disciples feet and tell them that His body would be broken and His blood spilt for them.

And after all that, there's no way He would resurrect Himself and usher in a new covenant of love, forgiveness and the freedom from sin.

So when He came in such fashion, John 1, tells us that they didn't even know Him. In fact, they did not want the sort of King He was.

But God never intended to place the borders of His Kingdom around one specific nation. Instead He opens it to everyone. He welcomes the reject, the broken, the oppressed, the angry, the depressed, the sick, the lame, the poor and every other kind of undesirable this world has ever seen and despised. But why? Why would God make a place at the table of salvation and grace for the "worst of the worst"?

The answer is simple: Love.

The work of Christ (his crucifixion, death and resurrection) opened the door so that when God looks at us He sees what we were always meant to be. The salvation and grace that Christ bestows on us makes us not only the best versions of ourselves, but the best representation of Christ and the very image of God which we were made to reflect.

But wait! He didn't stop there.

The work of Christ was the definitive "God wins" on every principality, spirit of darkness, evil power, etc. So that the "war" we imagine is going on, has already had its' day of bloody ravaging of the innocent. The blood which wins this battle which we live in has already been won.

Now we are left, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, to spread the Gospel of Christ. The gospel that the One and Only King has come, conquered and rallied. So we embark, not on a mission hell-bent on spilling more blood, but on a mission of reconciliation. A mission of bringing the people around us to the altar of God. The altar where the spirits of oppression and injustice are futile. The altar where we leave having laid down burdens and picked up grace.

The moral of the story?

Don't spend so much time planning and building expectations.

Whatever it may be: your calling, ministry, a job or a trial you're going through we must be ready to set aside our own expectations. Because when the Real King came, He was missed due to foolish expectations. While we are busy building up our own expectations, God has already set His plan in motion. This is why I firmly believe that God often times smiles gently and whispers: "To Hell with Expectations" when we try to plan for Him.