When Jesus began his public ministry, people tried to force many competing expectations on him. Some people expected Jesus to be a royal Messiah, to return kingdom of Israel to independence and self-sufficiency. Others looked to Jesus to be a priestly Messiah who would lead the people of Israel to spiritual wholeness and unity with God. Still others expected Jesus to be a warrior Messiah, who would fight and destroy the powers of this world to establish the rule of God over all the earth. The temptations that the devil offered to Jesus in the wilderness were the same sorts of things that people tempted Jesus with every day. People asked Jesus to magically create bread in order to feed the hungry. When Jesus was arrested, one of his disciples thought that this was the moment when Jesus would raise up his army to destroy their oppressors. Upon the cross itself, people mocked Jesus by telling him to call upon the angels of God to relieve his suffering. The temptations that the devil placed before Jesus in the wilderness were temptations that people, sometimes faithful followers placed before Christ his entire ministry. But Jesus chose not to magically place bread on the plate of every hungry person. He chose not to lead an army of God to overthrow the kingdoms of the world. Jesus chose not to reveal his full glory in such a way that it would leave no doubt in the minds of anyone that he was the Son of God. Jesus knew the lesson that Faust had to learn the hard way: that the truth of our lives isn’t measured in our achievements, but in the quality of character that we show along the way. Rather than personally feed the world, Jesus modeled outrageous generosity in order that we might learn how to take care of one another. Instead of overthrowing the powerful oppressors of the world, Jesus modeled self-restraint and humility in order that the powerful would find their hearts changed and cease to oppress. Rather than place his own life and comfort first, he placed the will of God above his own desires, showing us the way to lead our lives according God’s plan. Generosity, humility, and devotion to God are the legacies that Christ left us by his choice to resist temptation. Those are the footsteps of Jesus that we can follow. To show kindness, to live with humility, and to set aside our own self-interests in order to work toward the purposes of God… these are the qualities of character that Christians are called to embody, just as Jesus modeled them for us. The most lasting legacy of Jesus for Christians isn’t that he conquered death. But that he lived a life according to the will of God, and in him we can see the path for us to live our lives according to God’s will.

We all face competing expectations. We wear different hats in different circumstances, and sometimes it’s hard to keep them all straight. When the mother of a friend of mine died, my friend said that it took her a long time before she grieved like a daughter. She felt at the time she had to be strong and reassuring for her children. She had to stay detached and keep her emotions compartmentalized at work. She juggled the expectations placed upon her as a mother and as an employee, and it took her a long time to embrace the grief she felt as a daughter. In the midst of competing expectations, sometimes it’s hard to know who we’re supposed to be. There are competing expectations of what it means to be a Christian today. There are plenty of people who understand Christians to be judgmental and self-righteous. Then again, many people think of Christians as gentle and loving. I’ve heard it said that all Christians ought to be Republicans because Republicans stand for traditional moral values. But then again, Christians ought to be Democrats, because Democrats stand with the working class and the poor like Jesus did. Different people carry different expectations of what it means to be Christian. And each expectation brings with it a temptation for those of us who’re striving to lead a Christian life. When some of us hear people assume that Christians are self-righteous and judgmental, we may be tempted to suspend all judgment in an effort to disprove their assumptions. We may be tempted to exercise no judgment, take no stands for or against anything. We may be tempted to chase after approval from others at the expense of any influence we might have to fight injustice, advocate for the helpless and convict those who abuse power for their own gain. Competing expectations can leave us chasing our own tail and standing for nothing, for fear of disappointing someone’s expectation. Others of us may encounter the expectation that Christians are wimps and pushovers, and in turn be tempted to the other extreme. In response to the expectation that Christians are meek and mild, we may be tempted to become fierce and seize power. We might be tempted to be belligerent in the faith, to not care whose feelings we hurt in our devotion to showing that Christians aren’t afraid to fight for what we believe in. We may be tempted to seize political power and to wield it with the same indifference and insensitivity with which others have abused us. Competing expectations make it tough sometimes to figure out who we are and what we’re meant to do with our lives. We may be tempted to define ourselves by the expectations of others, or in opposition to the expectations of others, and lose sight of who we are deep inside.

Deep inside, we’re God children. Before anyone was ever disappointed in us, before we ever earned anyone’s praise, we were lovingly embraced by our Creator. So before we chase after the expectations of anyone else, before we try to stand in opposition to the forces that want to tell us who to be and what to do, we ought to stand grounded upon those things that God’s requires of us: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our Creator. Everything else that we may seek in our lives is illusion. Self-sufficiency, financial independence, political power… we may chase after these things believing that they’ll bring meaning and security to our lives. But the only thing that ultimately gives meaning to our lives is answering the call of God, striving to do what it is God expects of us. And God’s expectations have nothing to do with fame or fortune, or money, or gadgets, or material comforts. Before we take the time to worry about any of those things, God calls us to follow the path where Christ has led us. Work for justice, show kindness and generosity, and seek to always walk humbly in the path that God has chosen for us. Whatever else we do, whoever is disappointed or pleased with us, if we do what God requires we will live lives of substance and meaning, and we will please the one who knew us and loved us first. May God who gives us the will to do these things also grant us the grace and the strength to do them. Amen.