An ageing tax collector bends over his scroll, knowing that both ink and time are running short and that his friends are already gone, so he must write down what matters most. Through Matthew’s eyes we return to that spring in Jerusalem: the donkey, the palm branches, the shouts of hosanna, and then the tables overturned in the court of the Gentiles (Matthew 21). The sermon shows that Jesus came not to overthrow Rome but to clear away the barriers people had built between God and everyone judged unfit, foreigners, the blind, the lame, children and tax collectors. Listen, and see how much room the Father’s house holds for you.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey while the crowd lays down cloaks and palm branches, singing "Hosanna to the Son of David." What kind of king were people expecting, and how was Jesus different?
- Jesus clears the temple, quoting Isaiah and Jeremiah: "My house will be called a house of prayer." Why was the trading in the Court of the Gentiles such a serious problem if it was meant to make sacrifices easier?
- After the temple is cleansed, the blind and the lame come to Jesus and children shout "Hosanna." What do these scenes reveal about whom God invites to worship Him?
- In the sermon, Matthew describes himself as a tax collector who felt unimportant and out of place everywhere. What does it mean to you that there is enough room in the Father's house for people like that?
- What "tables" in your life or in our community might be making it harder for others to come to God and worship Him today?
- Who could you help this week to feel welcome in God's presence and in our community, and how will you do it?
