![]() In our journey to become who God made us to be, we have to jettison all people-pleasing that supersedes our desire to please God. If the expectation didn’t fit, He rejected it, reminded people of His calling and continued doing what He was destined to do. If the request matched His calling and directions the Father gave Him, then He accepted it. ![]() Jesus didn’t accept every “plate” handed to Him. It might have made John happy for a moment for Jesus to act more “Messiah-ish,” but following John’s plans would have kept Jesus from fulfilling His mission, ultimately leaving John without a Savior. Jesus will not leave His path for John, but He beckons John to walk with Him. “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Within His parting sentence, there’s a gentle rebuke and an engaging invitation to John. Without detouring, pursuing John with promises of change, or creating a clever new plan, Jesus held His course. Then Jesus unapologetically called John to come into alignment: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” ( Luke 7:23, NIV). He listed proof of His ministry to remind John of the goal. Jesus was crystal clear about His calling - and immovable. Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” ( Luke 7:22b). Instead of Jesus shifting His calling, He helped John shift his expectations. He wasn’t angry and defensive, nor did He acquiesce, trying to fulfill someone else’s agenda. Maybe John started looking for some one else because he was expecting some thing else.Įven so, Jesus didn’t react to unreasonable expectations the way I’ve reacted. What a stunning question from the one who paved the way for Jesus and baptized Him in the Jordan River, with God the Father and the Spirit attending! Where in the world did John’s question come from? One example was when John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, sent a question to Him through two of John’s disciples: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” ( Luke 7:20b, NIV) But Jesus handled what others expected of Him with a firm grace. There’s no other person in history who’s had more expectations flung at Him than Jesus. It’s all a matter of evaluating expectations. The picture Amber painted made me laugh, but it’s the perfect picture to help us as we deal with outside tasks, duties, attitudes and demands passed to us. This is your trash to hold or throw away.’” You handed this to me, but it’s not mine. “Now, I lovingly hand the plate back,” Amber explained, “and I sweetly say, ‘Oh. Amber’s found a way to better manage the relationship when inappropriate emotional baggage, unreasonable demands on her schedule or extra duties are handed to her. “My whole life, I’ve accepted the plate she’s handed to me, as if I now actually own it, saying, ‘Of course I’ll take your trash. “Sometimes my relative hands me a plate of trash,” Amber told me. As she navigated the deep waters of improving that relationship, Amber had a realization in the form of a funny word picture. My friend Amber had a difficult relationship with a relative. “So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’” Luke 7:22 (NIV)
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