Unexpected - Week 2 - Dugan Sherbondy

The account traces Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at Passover and contrasts the Jewish people’s long-held expectations with the reality of God’s purposes. Crowds swelled because of the recent raising of Lazarus and the rumor of a powerful rabbi who performed signs; palm branches and cries of “Hosanna” signaled hopes for immediate political victory and liberation from Rome. Cultural and prophetic cues—palm branches as symbols of victory, a donkey as a sign of peace, and the word “Hosanna” meaning “save now”—shaped a popular imagination that expected a conquering messiah. Instead, the entry displayed humility, peace, and a mission rooted in forgiveness and eternal redemption rather than national revolt.

The narrative highlights how quickly expectations can turn to rejection when the anticipated form of deliverance does not arrive: the same crowd that welcomed with hosannas later demanded crucifixion when Jesus failed to fulfill partisan hopes. Scripture and historical context show God repeatedly doing far more than human plans foresee—from Abraham and Joseph to Ruth and Paul—so that apparent disappointments often disguise deeper, greater purposes. The contrast between a popular political messiah and a suffering servant exposes a recurring spiritual hazard: praising God for what seems useful instead of worshiping God for who God is.

Practical application centers on posture: instead of aligning prayer and praise with immediate desires, orient worship around the character and redemptive aims of Christ. The blind beggar’s cry, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” models faith that names who Jesus is and asks for mercy, not for a specific political outcome. The call moves from demanding timely fixes to learning a spiritual patience that trusts God’s wider, eternal design—trust that often only makes fuller sense in hindsight. Physical palm leaves should serve as reminders that God’s reality often surpasses human expectation and that surrender to God’s greater work yields true and lasting salvation.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Expectations can misplace true worship Unmet hopes often reveal more about personal agendas than about God’s intentions. When worship centers on what God should do for personal or national advantage, worship becomes conditional and fragile. Redirecting praise toward God’s character guards against fickle devotion and opens the heart to deeper submission. [51:20]
• 2. God’s reality exceeds human imagination Biblical history repeatedly shows God doing far more than requested or expected, converting setbacks into greater redemptive outcomes. This pattern reframes disappointment as a potential hinge for broader blessing that only God’s perspective can hold. Learning to believe in “more” requires theological patience and trust beyond present evidence. [65:00]
• 3. Name Jesus for who He is Faith that addresses Jesus as Messiah—acknowledging identity before asking for a fix—elicits His redemptive response. The blind man’s cry models a posture that trusts personhood over program, asking for mercy from one known to save. Such faith refuses to barter worship for outcomes and invites genuine transformation. [68:14]
• 4. Surrender expectations; embrace God’s purposes Releasing tight control over desired answers frees attention to recognize God’s broader work in suffering and history. Surrender does not mean passivity but an active reorientation of desire toward what God is doing for all people, not merely individual relief. The result aligns prayer with the mission of lasting reconciliation rather than temporary rescue. [63:58]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [38:28] - Expectation vs. reality introduction
• [41:15] - Crowds follow after Lazarus raised
• [43:27] - The Triumphal entry described
• [47:33] - Palm branches: symbol of victory
• [48:53] - Hosanna: “Save us now” explained
• [50:14] - Crowd shifts to “Crucify”
• [51:20] - Gap between expectation and reality
• [65:00] - God accomplishes more than imagined
• [68:14] - Blind man’s faith modeled
• [70:50] - Call to surrender expectations
• [74:29] - Closing and palm leaves

Bible reading: John 12:12-19 (ESV)
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Observation questions

1. What specific symbols (the palm branches, the donkey, the word "Hosanna") did the crowd use and what did each of those things represent to them? [47:33] [48:53]
2. According to the passage, what was the primary reason the large crowd went out to meet Jesus?
3. What does verse 16 tell us about the disciples' initial understanding of these events?

Interpretation questions

1. The crowd's expectations were based on a political and national liberation. Why was Jesus' mission of humility, peace, and eternal redemption a "so much more" and better reality than what they wanted? [55:23]
2. The sermon mentioned that "God's reality is always better than our expectations." How do the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, and Paul from the sermon illustrate this biblical pattern? [57:41]
3. The blind man in Luke 18 cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." How does his approach to Jesus differ from the approach of the crowd on Palm Sunday, and why did it elicit a different response? [01:08:14]

Application questions

1. Expectations can misplace true worship, turning it into a conditional praise for what we want God to do for us. [51:20] When have you found yourself praising God primarily for a specific outcome you desired rather than for who He is? What was the result?
2. God’s reality often exceeds our human imagination, turning our disappointments into hinges for His broader, redemptive purposes. [01:05:00] Can you identify a time in your life when a prayer went unanswered or a hope was disappointed, but you later saw how God’s “so much more” was better? How does that memory help you trust Him now?
3. The blind man’s faith modeled a posture of naming who Jesus is before asking for anything. [01:08:14] How could shifting your prayer life to focus first on Jesus’ character (“You are the Son of David”) change the way you present your requests (“have mercy on me”)?
4. Surrendering our tight control over desired outcomes allows us to recognize God’s broader work. [01:03:58] What is one specific expectation you are currently holding onto—in your family, job, or personal life—that you need to actively surrender to God’s greater, eternal purposes?
5. The sermon suggested that our anger at God is often actually anger at our own unmet expectations. [59:35] Is there an area where you feel distant from or frustrated with God? Could it be that you are holding onto an expectation of how He should act, rather than trusting in His character and wider plan?
6. The physical palm leaf was given as a reminder that God’s reality surpasses our expectations. [01:13:52] This week, when you see that leaf (or another simple object you choose), what specific, unmet hope will you use it as a prompt to release back to God in trust?