What Kind of Savior Do You Expect?

Text: Matthew 21:1-9

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What kind of Savior do you expect?  Yes, what kind of Savior do you expect?  

Dear friends, I must caution you before you answer this question, for if you have wrong expectations about Jesus, these expectations can lead you down a very difficult and troublesome path. In other words, if your expectations of Jesus are wrong or distorted — if you expect Jesus to be a certain way when He is not — then your view of the Christian faith and the church’s purpose will also go wrong.  

Permit me an opportunity to explain.  

When we have wrong expectations in life, we will expect things to go a certain way.  However, when things do not go as we desire, we get frustrated, disappointed, and angry.  To make things worse, instead of admitting that our expectations are misguided, we often double down, demanding that our expectations be met.  And when they are not met, we typically stomp our feet, leave, and blame whoever did not meet our expectations.    

Now, why mention this?  

In our reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we heard that Jesus entered Jerusalem that Palm Sunday long ago. And as He entered Jerusalem, many people followed Him into the city, and many came out to meet Him as He entered the city.  It was a rather large crowd.  Now, these people were not the only ones who knew about Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.  You see, news of His arrival spread rapidly through all of Jerusalem to thousands of people.  That is to say, Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem not only resulted in a large crowd gathering along the road, but tens of thousands of people were captivated by His coming as the news of His arrival resulted in a buzz taking over the 200,000 people in the city – people were asking, “Who is this?”  

Obviously, among all the people of Jerusalem, some clearly understood who Jesus was.  But most of the other people in the city… well, they had false expectations of who Jesus was.  In other words, many people during that time considered the Messiah to be someone who would usher in the new creation with power and immediately put all things right.  Please remember that Israel and Jerusalem were not free during the time of Jesus.  The Jewish people were under the heavy hand of the Roman Empire.  And so, for the average person in the city of Jerusalem, the news of Jesus arriving brought expectations of a Messiah of power and might – an earthly Messiah.  

Tragically, in America, our expectations for Jesus are tremendously misguided and distorted as well.  Many see Jesus as nothing more than a moral teacher.  Others see Him as an archetype – a symbolic figure representing the human potential for goodness and transformation.  Others see Jesus as an advocate for tolerance and universal acceptance – He symbolizes inclusivity and is a beacon for love.  Perhaps the most frustrating expectation of Jesus in America right now – one that we often hear about in our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – is Jesus as a Personal Savior on Demand.  You know what I am talking about; the version of Jesus that solves earthly problems and provides blessings… the version of Jesus that is all about comfort and prosperity.  

* * *

To show just how problematic these bad expectations can be, let me share a modern-day parable I heard many years ago.  

Imagine that you just boarded a flight. As you board the plane, the flight attendant hands you a warm cloth, saying, 

“Welcome aboard.”  

After taking your first-class seat, you remove your shoes and stretch your feet out.  

After the plane takes off, the flight attendant approaches you and offers you a glass of champagne and a parachute.  You then respond with hesitancy, 

“A parachute?” 

The flight attendant nods her head and says, 

“Yes, a parachute, it will enhance your flight.”

Now, as you think to yourself, you say, 

“The warm cloth felt great on my face, the champagne tasted great on my pallet, and I guess the parachute will enhance my flight.  Let’s go for it.”

And so, you stand up and put the parachute on.  It is about the size of a very large backpack and weighs about 25 pounds.  

After sitting down, the parachute certainly doesn’t feel that good.  You were expecting this bulky parachute to be the secret to first-class comfort, but instead, your back is arched awkwardly with straps digging into your shoulders.  

As the flight continues, you shift uncomfortably, trying to find a position that doesn’t feel like sitting on a bag of bowling balls.   You say to yourself, 

“Luxury must take some getting used to.”

After beads of sweat start forming on your face, and you notice other passengers starting to raise their eyebrows at you, you then stand up, take the parachute off, saying with disgust, 

“No, no, this is not enhancing my flight.  What a pathetic waste of time.’  

Now, obviously, in our story, the expectations of the parachute were distorted and misguided.  Parachutes are not meant to enhance a person’s flight.  Instead, they are meant to save us from a plane crash death.  

In America, many Christians are told that Jesus models human transformation, symbolizes inclusivity, and is an On Demand Personal Savior who can solve your challenging problems and make your wildest dreams come true so you can be secure with comfort and prosperity.  And so, people will then strap Jesus on, expecting that Jesus will enhance their life.  Unfortunately, though, just as the backpack did not enhance the flight of the passenger, when Jesus does not deliver on people’s misguided expectations of comfort and bliss (to name a few), it only takes a matter of time before they take Jesus off and say with disgust, 

“No, no, this Christian stuff didn’t work.  It is a pathetic waste of time.”

* * *

Consider our Gospel reading again: Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday long ago not to be a political or military leader who would restore Israel’s independence and glory. Instead, He entered Jerusalem to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and, on the third day, be raised. One can only imagine the conversations that followed when Jesus suffered and died under the heavy hands of Rome instead of being a great political and military leader.  That is to say, many had no use for a bleeding, suffering, and dying Savior – they had no use for this kind of Messiah because this was not the kind of Messiah they expected or wanted.  

So, this begs the question: who is this Jesus?  What shall we expect from Him?  What kind of Savior should you expect? 

Dear friends, please hear this loud and clear! This Christ, this Christian faith, and this Church are not about a cosmic divine therapist who symbolizes love and acceptance while we find warm-loving friendships and comforting prosperity in like-minded groups of people in the church. Instead, it is about a suffering, bleeding, dying, and rising Messiah.  Just as a parachute is meant to save a passenger from a plane crash death, Christ came to ransom you and me from eternal death and damnation.  To expect something else from Jesus would be like expecting luxury and comfort from a parachute – it is a misguided expectation that will lead to your frustration, disappointment, and anger. And frankly, who really cares about those little things of luxury and comfort when you have a divine parachute – when you have Christ who saves you from certain death?  

With this in mind, it begs the question and clarification: what can we realistically expect from Christ?  

Dear Baptized Saints, you can expect and continually be reminded that Christ Jesus has redeemed you, as a lost and condemned person.  He purchased and won you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.  He did this not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death so that you may be His own and live under Him in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  (Luther’s Explanation of the 2nd Article of the Apostles’ Creed)

And what about His church? What can you expect from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church?  

Dear Baptized Saints, you can expect and continually be reminded that the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified, and kept you in the true faith here at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.  Furthermore, you can expect and should demand that the Lord daily and richly forgive you of all your sins and the sins of all believers as He returns you to the waters of your baptism, cleanses your conscience in absolution, and strengthens your faith in the Supper you await the great resurrection on the last day.  To expect something else other than this, well… I am afraid that you will be frustrated, disappointed, and perhaps even angry. (Luther’s Explanation of the 3nd Article of the Apostles’ Creed)

Baptized Saints, what kind of Savior do you expect; what kind of Savior do you have?  You don’t have the Savior that so many people want but the Savior that you actually need – the God-Man Jesus Christ who comes to you and me with forgiveness, life, and salvation.  

Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free!  

In the name of Jesus. Amen.