Volume 6: When Expectation Misdirects Your Worship

There is a tension woven through the Gospels that we cannot afford to ignore. It is the quiet divide between who Jesus truly is and who people desperately want Him to be. And it is this very tension that causes people to choose the wrong Jesus.

This devotion will shine a spotlight on how expectation blinds us from revelation. And when expectation takes the lead, even spiritual leaders can sway the crowd, as the chief priests and elders did, guiding people to reject the very Savior they once praised, and choose another Jesus.

The crowd cried out for Jesus, but they were not always crying out for who He truly was. They were crying out for what they desperately wanted Him to do. When you focus on ability instead of identity, deception will always feel justified. As long as He performs, you will follow. But the moment He refuses your expectations, you will question His authority, doubt His nature, and distance yourself from the very One you once declared as King.

How Desperation Creates Misguided Expectation

Israel had been crushed under the weight of Roman colonization. Their land was occupied by a foreign power. Their economy was drained through heavy taxation and forced tribute. Their streets were patrolled by armed soldiers, enforcing Caesar’s rule. Their leaders were manipulated, their justice was compromised, and many who resisted were imprisoned, enslaved, or publicly executed as a warning. Their daily lives were dictated by an empire that did not honor their God. Their dignity was diminished. Their faith was constantly pressured.

Every day was survival. Every prayer carried the pressure of urgency. They needed a solution now, not tomorrow. They chanted, “Save us now” – “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:9; Psalm 118:25). What they meant was: fix this now. Change it now. But God is not governed by our urgency, nor does He rewrite His sovereign will to satisfy temporary comfort. His plans are eternal, not emotional. His timing is perfect, not pressured. And He will not abandon His purpose just to accommodate our inconveniences or impatience.

And Here’s Where Expectation Collides Into Frustration

As they watched Jesus heal the sick, multiply food, walk on water, raise the dead, control the storm, and demonstrate undeniable power, something began to rise within the people.

A conclusion formed. A confidence grew. And they were overtaken by expectation. This is Him. This is the One who will fix it. This is the King who will deliver us now. And Scripture confirms it.

“They would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king” (John 6:15). Not crown Him in surrender, but control Him through expectation.

Then Comes Palm Sunday.

They shout, “Hosanna!” which means, “Save now!” (Matthew 21:9; Psalm 118:25). Not save our souls. Not establish eternal righteousness. But save us from this situation, right now.

And in that moment, they are not wrong to call Him King. They are just wrong about what kind of King He is. And a half-right revelation is not just a flawed idea in the mind – it becomes an open door in the heart, giving the enemy access to distort truth, redirect devotion, and slowly pull you away from the very King you claim to follow.

Jesus responds with a truth that disrupts their urgency: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). This is not a rejection of His kingship. It is an unacceptable redefinition of it.

And the moment His identity does not align with their expectation, confusion creates an opening. Doubt settles in. And where identity is questioned, deception finds its entrance.

They wanted a throne in Jerusalem. A rebellion against Rome. Immediate relief from pressure. But Jesus was focused on eternity, not urgency. And here is the danger, the pattern that still repeats:

People who worship Jesus based on self-driven expectations will betray Him for the same reason. They followed Him when He fed them. They followed Him when He healed them. They followed Him when He looked like the solution they imagined. But when He did not overthrow Rome, the same voices shifted from Hosanna to Crucify Him.

Why? Because they were not submitted to His identity. They were attached to their expectation.

This Happens Easily

This is the most dangerous plot twist you will ever read. The same crowd that once cried out for Him now cries against Him. They release Jesus Barabbas, and demand the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 27:20-21).

Why? Because the Jesus they encountered did not match the Jesus they expected. And this is exactly what Scripture warns about.

Paul said, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

Not a different name. Not a different story. Not a different thought in your head. But a different version. A Messiah shaped by human expectation instead of divine revelation.

And the moment worship is misdirected by expectation, we are no longer following Jesus the Messiah. We are following a version of Him the enemy is all too willing to present – a substitute shaped by our desires, designed to receive the worship meant for the real King.

And this is the danger. Because you can call Him Jesus, and still be following the wrong one.

The Discipline of True Devotion

The real Jesus will not be forced into our timeline. No matter what any leader tells you, no matter how much you have to suffer, no matter your financial lack, and no matter how urgent your situation feels, He will not be manipulated by pressure or persuaded by pain. He is governed by purpose, anchored in eternity, and committed to a Kingdom that cannot be reduced to mere moments.

He will not be reduced to our expectations, and substitutes cannot replace Him. And He will never trade His Kingdom just to meet our self-imposed “now.” So, guard your worship and refuse to let expectation misdirect it.

And carry the posture Jesus taught and lived: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2), not my will, but “let Your will be done” (Luke 22:42).