DISCOVERY QUESTIONS

Series: Unshaken
Sermon: Part 4
Passage: Matthew 21

Main Idea: We can persevere through difficulties because of our confidence in God.

Leader GuidePDF Version (Particpant)PDF Version (Leader)

OPENING PRAYER & WORSHIP

Open in prayer, asking God to fill your time together.

Play the song You Will Never Fail.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Lean In

Purpose: Introduce topic and get the group talking.

1. What do you usually look forward to as you prepare for the Easter holiday? In what ways has that changed this year?


Look Down

Purpose: Observe the passage and interact with the text

2. Read Matthew 21:1-11. What portrait do we get about Jesus in this passage? List everything that you discover about Him.

3. How do you think Jesus may have felt about this praise and adoration from the people, knowing that they would turn on him in less than a week?

4. Even though Jesus knew that His entrance to Jerusalem would lead Him to the cross less than a week later, Jesus still fulfilled what was required of Him. What does that teach us about the commitment that Jesus had to His Father and His mission? What do we learn from Jesus’ example?


Look Out

Purpose: Connect observations in God’s Word with observations in our world today.

5. The example that Jesus sets for us in the Scripture is of one who continued to do His Father’s will, despite the difficulties that would bring Him. What examples do you see right now of people continuing to do what Jesus asks of them and follow Him, despite the difficulties? How does that encourage and inspire you?


Look In

Purpose: Internalize God’s Word and apply the truth to your personal life.

6. Elsewhere in Scripture we’re told that “for the joy set before him, [Jesus] endured the cross”
(read together Hebrews 12:1-3). Where are you finding “joy” in the midst of this difficult time?

7. In relation to your faith, what are you finding it hardest to do right now because of circumstances?

8. How is your confidence and faith in God tangibly helping you in this time? What do you turn to daily to draw upon the strength that God provides?


Live It Out

Purpose: Spend time listening for God’s for direction and guidance as you seek to live out the truths of this passage in your everyday life.

9. We may not be able to serve people in close proximity, but we can still serve one another in this
time. Spend some time in individual, silent prayer and ask God if there is a need that you could meet among people that you know.

Share that with your group and then pray for one another in that.

LEADER GUIDE

OPENING PRAYER & WORSHIP

Before you officially begin, allow time for people to catch up and get comfortable with being online.

Open in prayer, asking God to fill your time together.

Play the song You Will Never Fail.

The idea here is simply to give space to open our hearts to God. It doesn’t matter if people sing or not. Please ask group members to mute their audio. We suggest you invite them to close their eyes as well to help focus. Encourage them to simply reflect on the words and on who God is.

To learn how to share your screen with the audio, click HERE.

Lean In

Purpose: Introduce topic and get the group talking.

1. What do you usually look forward to as you prepare for the Easter holiday? In what ways has that changed this year?

Keep in mind that these questions are designed as a guide through the passage. Be aware that group members might need to talk more about what they’re thinking and feeling, as opposed to going straight through all of the questions. Ask for the Spirit’s direction as you lead.

We’ve discovered that online calls are most effective if they’re limited to 60-75 minutes, given most people’s ability to stay focused. Be sure to save 15-20 minutes for prayer together as a group.


Look Down

Purpose: Observe the passage and interact with the text

2. Read Matthew 21:1-11. What portrait do we get about Jesus in this passage? List everything that you discover about Him.

– Among the crowds of Galilean pilgrims arriving on foot in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, Jesus chose to make a conspicuous entry on a donkey. Since we have no other record of Jesus riding, this must have been a deliberate act, meant to be noticed. The instructions in vs 1–3 suggest that it had been carefully prepared. It was, as Matthew makes clear, an acted allusion to Zchariah’s prophecy (Zech. 9:9–10) of the coming of the Messianic King. (D.A.Carson, New Bible Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11)
– Yet, even as the Messianic King, Jesus is not on a war horse, which is what people would have expected. Rather, he came “gentle and riding on a donkey.”
– Jesus was praised, but he was also misunderstood in his mission and purpose. He was to be the sacrificial servant before the reigning King.
– Sayings of praise:
– “Hosanna”: A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15.
– “To the Son of David”: A direct reference to Jesus as the promised Messiah in the line of David.
– “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (reference to Ps. 118:25-26): This is the language of those who had charge of the sanctuary, addressing him who came in the name of the Lord to present his thank-offering. It’s the language of welcome; the assurance that his offering would be acceptable to God. It was applicable to the Messiah, as coming in the name of the Lord.
– The people of Jerusalem were taken aback, and the whole city was stirred, not with enthusiasm but with concern: “Who is this?” Jesus was to them an unknown countryman, little better than a foreigner, from the remote northern province. But the Galilean crowds responded by asserting the claim of “their” prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee. This set up the polarization of attitudes to Jesus which during the next week would have some supporting Jesus (21:46) while others shouted for his crucifixion (27:20 ff.) (D.A.Carson, New Bible Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11).

3. How do you think Jesus may have felt about this praise and adoration from the people, knowing that they would turn on him in less than a week?

– Their praise likely felt hollow
– Yet, it is an all too common experience for Him – like a child who talks kindly toward a parent in one moment and then rejects the parent in the next. Yet, there’s a sense of his grace being present with these people, as a parent is gracious with their fickle kid.

4. Even though Jesus knew that His entrance to Jerusalem would lead Him to the cross less than a week later, Jesus still fulfilled what was required of Him. What does that teach us about the commitment that Jesus had to His Father and His mission? What do we learn from Jesus’ example?

– Simply, Jesus was undeterred from his mission. While the turning of the people may have saddened him, he remained steadfast towards the cross.


Look Out

Purpose: Connect observations in God’s Word with observations in our world today.

5. The example that Jesus sets for us in the Scripture is of one who continued to do His Father’s will,
despite the difficulties that would bring Him. What examples do you see right now of people
continuing to do what Jesus asks of them and follow Him, despite the difficulties? How does that
encourage and inspire you?


Look In

Purpose: Internalize God’s Word and apply the truth to your personal life.

6. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that “for the joy set before him, [Jesus] endured the cross”
(read together Hebrews 12:1-3). Where are you finding “joy” in the midst of this difficult time?

7. In relation to your faith, what are you finding it hardest to do right now because of circumstances?

8. How is your confidence and faith in God tangibly helping you in this time? What do you turn to daily
to draw upon the strength that God provides?


Live It Out

Purpose: Spend time listening for God’s direction and guidance as you seek to live out the truths of this passage in your everyday life.

9. We may not be able to serve people in close proximity, but we can still serve one another in this
time. Spend some time in individual, silent prayer and ask God if there is a need that you could meet among people that you know.

Share that with your group and then pray for one another in that.