Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 / James 5:7-10 / Matthew 11:2-11
In life, we have our expectations, but we also have to expect surprises.
In other words, it comes back to that saying, “expect the unexpected”.
And the unexpected will certainly be a surprise.
The following conversation between a man and God may give us an idea of what an unexpected surprise is.
Once, a man asked God, “What is a million years to You?” God replied, “Well, it is just a minute.”
The man asked God again, “What is $1,000,000 to You?” God replied, “Oh, it is just one cent.”
So the man said to God, “Then, can You give me one cent?” God replied, “Sure, just wait a minute.”
To believe in God is to expect the unexpected, and also to be surprised.
Simply because God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts.
And if we think that those who have a strong faith in God will be prepared for the unexpected, then we might just be surprised.
In the gospel, John the Baptist was in prison, and he had heard what Jesus was doing, and he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question:
Are you the one who is to come, or have we to wait for someone else?
John the Baptist had foretold that there is someone more powerful who is coming after him.
That someone will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John the Baptist had expected that someone to bring about judgement and to reward the just and punish the wicked.
John the Baptist had expected Jesus to be the one, but now he wasn't sure, he has his doubts.
Jesus preached about love and forgiveness, He healed the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf and the lepers.
That was not what John Baptist expected, so he had his doubts about Jesus, and he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one.
What Jesus did was not what John the Baptist expected, and he was surprised, and that surprise became a doubt.
John the Baptist had to ask the question, and Jesus gave him a reply to think about.
In life, we too have our questions when the unexpected surprises us.
We have our questions when people do not respond as expected to our need for help, and we get disappointed.
The following story has a lesson for all of us.
A mouse, looking through a hole in the wall, sees the farmer and his wife open a package. He was terrified to see that it was a mousetrap.
He ran to the barn to warn everyone, “There is a mousetrap at home!”
The chicken says: "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I understand that it is a big problem for you, but it does not hurt me at all."
So, the mouse went to the sheep and he says the same thing. But the sheep replied, "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, but I don't think I can help you."
The mouse went to the cow and she said: "But am I in danger? I don’t think so!"
The mouse returned to the house, worried and dejected to face the farmer's mousetrap.
That night a loud noise was heard like that of the mousetrap catching its victim, and the farmer’s wife ran to see what was caught.
In the dark she did not see that the mousetrap caught the tail of a venomous snake.
The speedy snake bit the woman, and the farmer immediately took her to the hospital, but she came back with a high fever.
The farmer wanted to comfort her with a nutritious soup, and so he grabbed the knife and went to find the main ingredient: the chicken.
But the woman did not get better, so friends and neighbours went to visit her, and the farmer slaughtered the sheep to feed them.
The woman did not get better and she died. And in the end, the husband sold the cow to the slaughterhouse to cover the funeral expenses.
So, when we say it is not our problem, we might just end up with a bigger problem for ourselves.
Let us look at Jesus who took the problem of our sins on Himself.
On the Cross, Jesus bore the punishment of our sins and saved us.
So, when someone comes to us with their problems, let us bear the burden with them, and be a part of their solution.
May we follow Jesus by showing compassion to others, and may we too receive compassion in our time of need.