Paul’s focus when he went to the synagogues was to announce to the Jews that their Messiah had come. The problem, however, was that Jesus didn’t fit their expectations. They were looking for a powerful warrior who would lead the Jewish people in a great military campaign that would defeat the worldly ‘powers-that-be’. Jesus would indeed defeat the worldly powers-that-be and establish his Kingdom, but there was a much bigger picture here to see, and Paul spent a lot of time explaining this to his people. The primary problem was not with political powers on earth that oppress people but with spiritual powers that oppress people. This is the enemy the Jesus had defeated and whose territory he was taking back. This was a divisive message however because many Jews of that time were stuck in their desire for a Messiah who would represent their agendas. That was how the biblical Messiah gradually became the political Messiah in their expectation; it morphed into the image of what the people wanted. It is interesting how our expectations can distort the way we understand the Scriptures. We develop warped expectations and then we tend to miss what God is doing because it doesn’t match those expectations. At the same time, we get frustrated and disillusioned because our expectations of God aren’t being met. So, we need to allow God to do what he was doing through Paul: to correct our expectations and help us to see the bigger picture. Having the right expectations of God will enable you to recognise what God is doing and enable you to live accordingly.
Ask God to shape your expectations.
Read Acts 17:1-15
