“But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.” (Luke 7:30, NIV)
What expectations have we placed on God that may not be consistent with who he has shown himself to be and with how he has shown himself to work in Scripture? A great reason to read the whole Bible is that this is how we truly get to know the character and nature of God, so that our hopes and expectations are rooted in truth.
We can’t rely on Christianity as it is lived out in a particular culture to set the standard here. We need to go to the source. The religious culture in Jesus’ day had some expectations about what God’s plan would look like, and the expectations were so off that most religious leaders missed the whole thing.
Think back to Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed, the sick, the blind and the mute, and even the raising of the dead. Note that all of these physical restorations were all supporting acts to the core thing, which was restoration of their relationship with God. We see this in how Jesus questioned the teachers of the law:
“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” (Matthew 9:5–6, NIV)
“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Likewise, Jesus sent word to John the Baptizer in prison that these miracles were evidences that he had come as the promised messianic king. He followed these affirmations of his identity with this subtle warning:
“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Luke 7:23, NIV)
This warning was necessary because of wrong expectations. The prophets through the Old Testament had made a lot of declarations about the last days leading to the messianic age, but when Jesus came to accomplish this work, the fulfillment didn’t match many people’s expectations.
Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’” (Luke 7:31–32, NIV)
God does not submit to our will and our ways. God does not accomplish his purpose in the way we think is best, and he does not save only the people whom we deem worthy. He doesn’t dance to our tune. Jesus compares people who have such expectations to immature children whining that things did not go their way.
“He doesn’t dance to our tune.”
Please don’t miss a critical point that Jesus makes here about aligning our expectations with his will and purpose. John was sent by God ahead of Jesus as a messenger to prepare people to receive the Messiah. He called them to repent because the kingdom of heaven was near (see Matthew 3:1–2). He was saying to them that God’s promise was being fulfilled—here, now! While many common people (“even the tax collectors”) responded to his call, the religious leaders disregarded him. He did not meet their expectation of God’s plans. And why?
“But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.” (Luke 7:30, NIV)
Because the religious leaders were too prideful in attempting to keep every word, guided by their manmade rules and misinterpretations, of the Mosaic law, they missed the simple gospel call to repent and submit.
Consider, then, Jesus’ declaration about John:
“I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28, NIV)
“They missed the simple gospel call to repent and submit.”
Abraham, Moses, David—all those whom the religious leaders upheld—were less than this prophet in the wilderness, because this prophet was the herald of the Messiah and his kingdom. Yet, he came before it and did not receive it because John died at the threshold of the new covenant.
Do you see the conclusion here for us? John was the greatest person naturally born under the old covenant, and yet the least person under the new covenant is greater than John! How could this be? It’s because those who repent and submit to Christ in the power of his resurrection become his co-heirs—recipients and stewards of the promised restoration that is for all people.
Let’s set the proper expectation. God’s kingdom is powerful, and his kingdom commission calls us to go throughout the world making disciples and bringing others into this promise. How is this accomplished? We have to have the humility to repent and submit.
“We have to have the humility to repent and submit.”
John was a strange prophet disregarded by the prideful. Jesus, our Savior and King, was killed by the self-righteous. Christ’s kingdom is a promise that is missed by the self-sufficient. Don’t neglect repentance and submission just because the simplicity and universality of the call to salvation isn’t in line with our expectations. Instead,
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38, NIV)
Excerpted from Tina Wilson’s 365-day chronological Bible study Step into Scripture: A Daily Journey to Understanding Your Bible.
