All Aboard!

Read Luke 23:1-56

32. Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him.
33. When they came to a place called Calvary, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
34. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
35. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36. The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine.
37. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
38. A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” Luke 23:32-38

You hurry for the train, bounding along the platform. You rush through the closing doors and eagerly settle into a seat. When the conductor calls out the stops and final destination of the train, you realize in a panic that you’re on the wrong one!

In a way, this is the experience of the disciples. As Jesus reaches his final destination—the cross—his disciples begin to wonder what is going on. They thought that they had signed up with a triumphant army, but they see their leader, Jesus, dying with criminals. Did they get on the wrong train? What are your expectations in your walk with Christ?

Sometimes we expect to be rewarded too soon for following Christ. We expect congratulations (or at least grudging admiration) from coworkers and friends for our choice to do what is right. Most of all, we expect God to oversee everything with our own interests first in his mind. We can get a rude awakening when our expectations get ambushed by the exact opposite—trouble, tragedy, conflict, or disappointment. As Jesus’ death on the cross shows, sometimes God’s plan for us doesn’t bring instant victory, justice, or reward. Suffering may precede or follow right choices.

Don’t let your expectations get in the way of enjoying God’s good plan for you now. He cares—you can be sure of that. Setbacks, unfairness, sufferings, and other trials enter the picture as part of it all. Exactly why, you may not know. But you can be sure that it isn’t a surprise to God and that the timetable—though it may seem long—makes perfect sense to him.