Like caffeine: it picks us up, so we don’t stop to think about its source. But hope isn’t neutral. There are many things we hope in that end in huge disappointment and even painful consequences. They leave people feeling hopeless. Or they’re afraid to hope for fear of being let down. Is cynicism the answer?
He was insulted by “customers” and threatened by “competitors.” Just as His “career” seemed to be getting started, it was ended by people who were jealous of His “success.” When people mocked Him by putting a crown of thorns on Him, Jesus stood with all who have ever felt the thorns of their own jobs and wondered whether there’s a God who cares.