Expected One

“Are You the Expected One?”…

“And He answered and said to them, Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (Luke 7:20-23)

John had spent months in prison prior to his question to Jesus, and he seemingly faced disappointment and discouragement as the Expected One had not met his preconceived expectations. But He asked in sincerity, and Jesus, full of grace and truth, answers with evidence. …and then says, ‘blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.’

Consider how easily we allow any discouraging circumstances or unmet expectations to dictate our soul surrendered recognition of His goodness and Lordship. He is Lord and He is indeed good, and our individual circumstances, no matter how disheartening they may be, are not the measuring cup of His goodness. And to add one additional layer to a life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, because our theology is rooted in the Cross, our hardship might just be the greatest opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed in and through us to a lost and dying world. “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials…” James 1.