Luke 3:15-22

Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.

—Augustine of Hippo

The Double-Edged Sword of Expectations

Expectations are, at their core, necessary but dangerous. They are necessary because they enable us to dream of a better future, but dangerous when they become unrealized. These unmet expectations, when they fester, can turn into petty conflict all the way up to large-scale revolutions. They provide the kindling that, when consistently ignored, can become a great conflagration of unrest and violence.

Biblical historians, drawing primarily from the Jewish writer Josephus, have demonstrated just how…