Jesus of Nazareth was killed.

That moment would prove to be one of the most pivotal for our species, regardless of which religion you follow.

But why? Why was Jesus killed?

What was happening in Jesus’ time that brought Him to the cross? What chain of events led him there? And what relevance, if any, does it have for today?

A lot of these questions can be answered through the lens of one word…

Expectations.

Israel’s leaders had specific expectations that Jesus didn’t meet. This set off a chain of events that resulted in the now-famous scene of Jesus on the cross.

But before we get into any of that, a quick story about rats.

Bob’s Rats

Once upon a time, psychologist Robert Rosenthal gathered up some rats and labeled half of them as intelligent and half as unintelligent.

Here’s the interesting thing, though… they were the same rats.

Why did he do this? For the same reason any adult with a PhD spends a lot of time with rodents…

…for science! 

Rosenthal invited some researchers to his lab and assigned each of them a rat. He then gave them the task of guiding said rat through a maze. 

The result? 

The rats labeled “smart” made it through much, much faster than those labeled “dumb.”

Again, they were the same rats.

The researchers with “smart” rats expected them to be better at the task and treated them accordingly. The researchers with “dumb” rats expected them to struggle with the task and treated them accordingly.

In reality, it was the expectations of the researchers and how they influenced their relationship with the rats that moved them to failure or success. 

The A-maze-ing Power of Expectations

It's a fascinating story and all but how does it relate to the death of Jesus?

Well, what we’ll find is that expectations of those in Jesus’ day played a major role in the fate He met.

In a lot of ways, it’s a cautionary tale about the ideas we entertain about God and just how reverently we hold onto them. 

Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at the Pharisees, the religious leaders who pushed for Jesus’ execution, and just what their expectations were.

After all, life’s a maze and it’s a whole lot easier with the right expectations.

That’s all for now, be blessed, everyone.

Jon,

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