The Answer to Disappointment

Herod was having an adulterous relationship with his own brother’s wife. Herod’s attitude was, apparently, “I’m King. I do what I want.”

There was no network news, no Internet, and no Hard Copy to report on Herod’s affair. There were no newspapers to splash lurid headlines. No official investigations would be made. Hardly an eyebrow was lifted; hardly a voice was raised in protest. Well, except one.

John the Baptist, whom many considered a prophet, had not been afraid to tell Herod,
“You are wrong in doing this. Stop it.”

And John kept saying that. It was irritating, embarrassing. This prophet was the fly in Herod’s ointment. Herod knew what he wanted to do with John – go medieval on him, and this before there even was a medieval! But John the Baptist was popular with the commoners and Herod didn’t want trouble with them. So Herod dithered and agonized and wished the problem would go away, you know, so he could have his adultery in peace.

Until one day, it’s Herod’s birthday. And his mistress, Herodias’, daughter gives a special dance performance for the event, and it so knocks his socks off that Herod promises to give her anything she wants in return. Herodias whispers in her daughter’s ear, and the daughter asks, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

Whoa, this was brazen even for Herod’s ears. He was expecting the girl to ask for gold or a new pony or something. Herod winces, but he can’t go back on his word. Plus, if he bites the bullet and kills the prophet, then his little pr problem is solved.


For John the Baptist’s part, this is what he gets for telling the truth – beheaded. No good goes unpunished.


News of this reaches Jesus. And it doesn’t take much to imagine his reaction. He staggers. He has to sit down. The whimsical cruelty of the news takes away his breath. John was only doing what God told him to do. John was his cousin, his predecessor, and his friend. And they cut off his head and served it on a platter for the amusement of a spoiled rich girl.

“Now when Jesus heard this he had to get away from there. He went in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” Matt. 14.13


He needed to be alone. He had to wrestle with how wicked people could be, even among God’s chosen. John the Baptist was a good man, in his way, a great man. They weren’t worthy of him. Is there hope for these people? Are they worth dying for?

Jesus was naïve about the nature of human beings. But He also wasn’t immune to deep disappointment. He got sad. He got angry. He wept over the fallen condition of humanity.

He asked, “Will I find faith on this planet?”

If Jesus experienced disappointment then I guess it’s okay for us to experience that too.
Maybe you have been disappointed by your job or your income. Or maybe you’re a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hey, I understand.

But most likely, your deepest disappointments have to do with people. Nothing disappoints us like people that we are counting on.

How do we deal with this? What do you do when someone disappoints you?

Well, you can be depressed. Kathleen Norris talks about her own struggles and a Greek word, acedia, that helped her understand this better. Acedia has no strict English equivalent, but it has the sense of apathy, listlessness, boredom. Norris calls it “the noonday demon” when our minds turn away from beauty and delight and are tempted to wickedness, selfishness, or a general attitude of “Why bother?” If you’ve ever had trouble finding a reason to get of bed before noon, then you know what I’m talking about.

God knows our lives give us plenty of opportunity to be depressed. It’s a very real struggle. And the noonday demon waits for all of us.


Or perhaps your disappointment is expressed another way. You get angry- which is a symptom of depression. You blame and vow revenge.

That reminds me of a scene from Forrest Gump when Forrest meets Jenny in Washington D.C. at a protest against the war in Vietnam Nam. Jenny’s boyfriend at the time, a protest leader, ends up hitting Jenny in anger. He later tries to “apologize” by blaming his anger on the stress of a war thousands of miles away, and “that darned lying President Johnson.”

Yeah, President Johnson made you hit your girlfriend.

We can go to equally absurd lengths to rationalize our own reactions – hey I’m depressed/angry/vindicative/bitter because. . . .and I’ve a right to be.


Well, the world is wicked and disappointing enough to give us all reason to feel depressed and angry and bitter. But here’s the thing – we can’t live there.

If you have faith in Jesus Christ, who “for the joy set before him endured the cross and ignored the shame,” (Hebrews 12.2) then despair and bitterness are not options for you.

It won’t do, people, it won’t do. So how should we react to disappoint with people. You keep giving and serving. That’s what Jesus did. He didn’t even have time with his thoughts and grief for very long, because the people followed him to that deserted place. And Jesus saw them coming, sighed maybe, and. . .

“he had compassion for them and cured their sick. . .”
When it came supper time, the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowds away. If they want supper they better get going.

“You feed them,” Jesus told his disciples.

These days we hear a lot about people “burning out” or quitting from disappointment. The thinking goes that “you can only do so much.” You have to take care of yourself. And there is something to be said for that.

But I look at Jesus and he just kept on giving. He had his alone time. He had his time of refreshment. But He just kept laying it down, you know.

And the happiest, most fulfilled people I know or have known are people who do the same. They just keep laying themselves down for others. They don’t look out for number one. They seem to be here for others, always. They don’t seem to tire as easily. When you say “burnout”, they laugh.

And God multiplies their good deeds and good words like loaves and fishes. Their lives are miracles.

You don’t have to let disappointment defeat you. Your life can be a miracle too. Jesus will give you what you need.