“He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” – Psalm 22:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 17, 2019): Psalm 22

English poet Alexander Pope argued that “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Maybe. But the reality is that living without expectations is almost impossible. It is actually an inefficient way to live life. Expectations are short cuts, bridges to everything that we want to achieve. Pope is right; expectations invariably lead to disappointments, but they also set out the path to achievement. When I go on vacation, I don’t want to chase tourist attractions; I want to sit on a beach with a good book. So I search for two main things when I am looking for possible vacation spots. The first is that there is a beautiful beach, and maybe a quiet one, where I can go and sit with my book. The second thing I want is a place where there will be good weather allowing me to sit at the beach. Expectations help me make that choice. Yes, sometimes my expectations are not met, and I am disappointed, but if I didn’t have expectations, I would never be able to enjoy the vacation that I desire, and would likely end up going from tourist attraction to tourist attraction, which would probably wreck my holiday.

There are so many elements in Psalm 22 that are reminders of the Good Friday story. And this passage reflects one of them. Matthew records the Good Friday events this way.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him (Matthew 27:39-41).

Mark adds this comment in his gospel. “Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said” (Mark 15:36).

Jesus, if you are who you are, then surely God will come and rescue you. It is a statement of expectation. God would not want his son on the cross.

But the expectation is misplaced. God was at work, doing something that we had not been able to do for ourselves, and it meant that God was going to do the unthinkable. The reality of this passage goes back to the story of Job. Sometimes the reality of our outside situation does not reflect the inner condition of our souls. Jesus was not “less than” because God did not come to his aid, no matter what the expectations of those around the cross might have been. There was a purpose in the cross that Jesus’s contemporaries did not understanding. David was also not “less than” because of his struggles. And neither are we. God is at work in us in a way that sometimes does not match our expectations. But that fact does not say anything about God or us and our relationship with him. It just means that God is at work in us in a way that we may not yet understand.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 23