Welcome the Expected and the Unexpected!

“Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.” (Luke 8:40)

Typically, when we expect people and look forward to their visit, we welcome them when they arrive.  The context of the verse above does not really indicate why the crowd was expecting Jesus.  However, it is likely that since Jesus had been going about healing people, the crowd was expecting Him to continue to do so when He arrived. 

But that expectation was for healing.  What about the overall expectations for Jesus?  And, was He welcomed by all?

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”  (John 1:10-11)

The welcome of all welcomes should have been there for Jesus, the one whose coming had been foretold, which included all the incredible reasons for Him to come.  But the indictment against the world was that they did not recognize Him.  And the indictment against His own was that He was that they did not receive Him.  In a modern day expression, when it came to Jesus, the welcome mat was pulled.

On a related note, what do we do with the unexpected?  Perhaps an expected person arrives at an unexpected time.  Or, perhaps the expected person does something unexpected.

In Luke 15, we find tax collectors and sinners were all gathered around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2).

In their self-righteousness, the religious leaders would never associate with such people.  And they believed that if Jesus really understood who He was welcoming and eating with, He would never have associated with them.  Yet there He was, doing the unexpected by associating with tax collectors and sinners.    

But what probably irked the religious leaders the most was that Jesus went well beyond welcoming tax collectors and sinners and eating with them, He touched their lives with love and grace.  Blinded by their self-righteousness, the religious leaders, pulled the welcome mat to love and grace.

The reality for us is whether you expect it or not or whether you welcome it or not, Jesus touches our lives in so many wonderfully unexpected ways.  So, make sure the welcome mat is out!