An innocent man spent eighteen years in prison because a whole chain of people preferred to believe their own assumptions rather than the facts. That story opens a reflection on Jesus entering Jerusalem and cleansing the temple (Matthew 21), on a crowd greeting the king of its own dreams, and on leaders who turned a house of prayer into a marketplace. The sermon asks an uncomfortable question: how much of our faith is about God, and how much about our image of him. Listen and see who it is that you are really welcoming as your King.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey rather than a horse, fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah. What does this choice reveal about what kind of King He is, and how did it differ from the expectations of the crowd shouting "hosanna"?
- Why does Jesus drive the merchants out of the Court of the Gentiles, when selling animals and exchanging money seemed helpful to pilgrims? What did it mean that the temple was meant to be a house of prayer for the nations?
- The sermon opens with the story of Tomasz Komenda, who became a victim of other people's assumptions about him. In which relationships do you notice a tendency to love your picture of someone rather than who they really are?
- The speaker lists several images of God: a God at our beck and call, a God who forgives me but not others, a God present only where I allow Him. Which of these feels closest to you, and how does it shape your faith?
- The sermon says nothing pushes people away from God like the behavior of those who should be drawing them to Him. How might your own attitude distort or reveal the true image of God to others?
- The blind, the lame and the children recognize Jesus, much like the boy with Down syndrome in the speaker's story. What specific step can you take this week to come to Jesus with the trust of a child or someone in need?
