That's pretty much the truth.
And ultimately, God will do stuff in his way, no matter what we tell him is the way he is supposed to move.
Look at Jesus. How many scholars in his day expected the Messiah to come as the Suffering Servant? They thought the Suffering Servant was a prophecy about the people of God going through the traumas of exile.
But not to fear, for we are told, "Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:28.
But I do like to contemplate this passage in particular:
And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:12-13.
You asked rhetorically, "How many scholars in his day expected the Messiah to come as the Suffering Servant?"
Upon what do you base your belief that a lot or most Jewish "scholars" (scribes?) "expected the Messiah to come as the Suffering Servant"?