Only after

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.  –John 12:16 (NIV)
 
There is a certain irony in the fact that Jesus’ disciples worshiped Him as king, proclaimed Him as king, and welcomed Him as king in exactly the way Scripture had prophesied, while having no understanding of the type of kingdom He would build or the implications of His reign. They were completely oblivious to the fact that the events they were participating in had been specifically described by the Old Testament prophet, Zechariah.
 
Jesus did not interrupt them or stop to explain. He accepted their worship and affirmed the truth of the title they were proclaiming, uninformed as it was. “Only after” is the phrase John uses here. The disciples would understand… eventually. In a way, I suppose that’s still the case with Jesus’ worshipers and disciples today. We come – seeking, excited, hopeful, caught up in the moment, with the glimmer of an idea of what it means to follow Jesus. Remarkably, He hears our prayers and accepts our worship. He really is The King, after all. The words we speak are true and the commitment impassioned, even if we do not fully grasp the weight of what we are saying. "Only after" what will likely be a long, difficult journey will we really understand all it means to call Him “King”.
 
That is not meant to imply that insincere worship is acceptable or that “anything goes” in what passes for worship. It is meant to underscore the fact that we serve a king who honors our imperfect efforts while we are in the process of learning what it means to be a citizen of His kingdom.
 
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.  –John 4:23-24 (ESV)
 
To use an example, I thought I loved my wife on our wedding day. I had told her as much many times before. If either of us had fully understood what it would cost us to keep those vows to one another, we might’ve reconsidered our options (her more so than me!). But after 35+ years, I love her more profoundly than I did then. The ups and downs of the life we have built and shared, and the things we have learned about one another along the way have solidified our commitment in ways I would not have imagined.
 
How about parenting? If we waited until we knew what we were doing and could afford it, the human race would have gone extinct generations ago. But we continue to naively wade into it. A child is born, and before we know it, we’re hooked. There will be incredible highs and huge disappointments along the way, and even though it breaks our hearts sometimes, we wouldn’t trade a moment of it. Because that’s my kid!
 
So our King is patient and persistent while He makes us holy. He hangs our scribbles on His refrigerator door and calls them “art”. He hears our prayers and accepts our flawed sacrifices, often given in ignorance, and calls us His beloved.
 
O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!  -Psalm 141:1-2 (ESV)