Are you disappointed in the Christian faith? Perhaps you heard the gospel, as I did, through the teaching of one of the many prosperity gospel/health and wealth preachers. You placed your faith in Jesus Christ thinking your life would be much better, fuller, and problem free. Instead, once you announced your newfound belief in Jesus, you began to notice that suddenly you are out of step with the world around you. And some people are even angry with you. 

Or perhaps, you are passionate about righting the social injustices of our times. You’ve heard how that Christ loved the poor and the outcast and that drew you to Him. But, since your conversion to Christ, you’ve come to see the world is worse off than you imagined and that righting the social ills of each age is not the gospel at all. 

Both of these persons and more are examples of how we believers can experience disappointments in the faith. 

Matthew Henry, “Our Lord Jesus, by giving us notice of trouble, designed to take off the terror of it, that it might not surprise us. Of all the adversaries of our peace, in this world of troubles, none insult us more violently, nor put our troops more into disorder than disappointment does; but we can easily welcome a guest we expect, and being forewarned are forearmed…”  

In the account, our Lord is preparing His disciples for his approaching departure. They will experience profound disappointment coupled with a sense of abandonment. But, Jesus teaches them, that this is only a perception. If they understand the plan of God and live in the faith of the gospel they will see that great blessings are on the way. 

This important for us today as well because we live in the days when we believe in Jesus though never having met him. It is vital that we understand that this is part of the plan of God the Father and that there are blessings that the church must partake of here and now if we are going to faithfully carry out the Great Commission.