Have you ever expected something, and when you got it, it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be? I think we could all give a testimony to an experience like that. When we anticipate something.... especially something humongous..... we tend it build it up in our mind. Sometimes, our mental buildup reaches the point that the anticipated thing, event, or even a person has a hard time meeting our expectations. It's really a bummer when that thing, event or person doesn't quite measure up to the standards of what we had in mind.
Think of something you once anticipated, and then multiply the level of anticipation by spreading it out over 1400 years or so, with each year getting exponentially greater and adding to the intensity of your expectation. Now you have some sort of idea what the Jews, God's chosen people, were expecting when they imagined what their Messiah would be like.
Read the Old Testament. Over and over the prophets had proclaimed God's promise to the Jewish nation that He would deliver them from their problems by sending a king to establish God's kingdom on earth. This deliverer was often referred to as "The Messiah". Moses was a great deliverer, but Moses didn't quite meet the qualifications for being the Messiah. He never had a kingdom. In fact, no leader of Israel ever had a kingdom until David came along. The name "David" literally means "anointed one", but David was not "the" Messiah. Jesus cleared that one up when He preached during His ministry on the earth. The Jews who studied the scriptures understood that no human king could ever fulfill the high ideal of the true Messiah, who would be God Himself coming down to earth.
After David's earthly kingdom came to an end, the prophets began endowing the anticipated Messiah with names that clearly placed Him beyond mere mortal humans. He would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6). Scriptures also tell us that the Messiah would be a direct descendent OF King David (Isaiah 11:1). Micah 5:2 foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David's old stomping ground. Isaiah gave the most staggering qualification for Messiah: Being born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). That one by itself was a mind-blowing prediction.
So the stage was set, and the time was right for God to send the Great Deliverer to rescue His people...... and that's just what God did. He sent Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One, who was a descendent of David.... (check out Luke 1:31-33). Jesus was also born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4, 6-7). Most of all, Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18, 22-23). God even sent a personal messenger from His fleet of angels to proclaim: "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior..... yes, THE Messiah, the Lord.... has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12).
In other words..... you couldn't miss it. There was no mistake. The prophecies had been fulfilled. God had indeed stepped out of the portals of Heaven and come down to earth in the person of Jesus. The Messiah had finally come. Surely now the Jews would embrace their King.
Hold the fort. Slight problem. The Jews were anticipating a different kind of Messiah, and the Baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem didn't quite do it for them. They expected a royal king born in a palace..... God sent a common baby born in a stable. They expected a royal birth announcement from the major religious leaders and news media of the day...... no such luck. God didn't even bother telling the religious folk. (Maybe He knew something they didn't)? Jesus' birth was announced to rugged shepherds living out in the middle of nowhere. The Jews anticipated a king who would come in and trounce their enemies and rule the nation of Israel politically...... but Jesus messed up their plans of grandeur. He came to serve and to give His life for others.
Now..... hang on before you start criticizing the Jews for "missing the Messiah". "But, Danny, they missed their Messiah after hundreds of years of waiting...."..... yeah, I know. But before you start pointing a finger at the Jews, look at your hand. There are three fingers still pointing at you....(and me).
Ask yourself this question.....what kind of Deliverer am I looking for? Okay, now we're getting down to where the rubber hits the road. Do we really expect Jesus to deliver us from our problems, or do we choose to worry and fret? Are we expecting Jesus to deliver us from our enemies? Do we expect Jesus to rid us of our poverty and sickness?
Truth is..... Jesus can do ALL those things, but that's not why He came. More than anything else, Jesus....THE Messiah.... came to deliver us from our sins. The name Jesus means "Savior", and "save" is what He came to earth to do.
The true Messiah doesn't simply meet the expectations of those looking to be delivered. He exceeds them.
You may not fully understand WHY Jesus came into the world. Just be glad He did.
Selah
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