Too Small of Hope

Hope Too Small

John 19:14b–16
Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

When Jesus was born, the Jewish people were longing for the promised One who would finally change their situation. They expected a politically focused prince—a military-minded Messiah who would overthrow the heavy hand of Rome and restore the people of God to the land of God.

But when God fulfilled His promise, they were unwilling to accept what stood right in front of them.

Jesus was not what they expected—and honestly, not what they wanted.
They wanted a nation restored.
But God had bigger plans.
He came to restore hearts, not borders.
He came to reconcile the lost, not simply return what had been lost.

Their hope was too small.

What about you?
Is your version of God too small?
Is your hope in this life too limited?

Are you expecting God to prioritize earthly comfort over eternal transformation?
Are you asking God for things He never promised to give?
Are you demanding He meet your expectations, or else you dismiss what He’s already doing?

Here’s the question to sit with today:
Where have your expectations of God clouded your vision of how God is actually working?

The people hoped for a change in circumstances.
God came to change their hearts.

We often hope for the temporary.
But God offers the eternal.