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The online groups guide is designed as a teaching series companion to foster discussion, study, and prayer, especially in a group setting.
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Love
Teaching Text: Zechariah 9:9-13
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,
and make you like a warrior’s sword.
Themes
Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:
Cry of the Prophet
Zechariah – Behold Your King
Formation
Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:
And the picture leaves us with a decision to make.
Jesus is a King unlike any other
Here is one who is a Prophet a Priest, and King
Prophet - telling us God’s heart
Priest - making atonement with His own life
The King - raising us to a new type of living.
The Crowd is a crowd like any other
They cheer Jesus when hHe is healing and parading and representing a possible new hope for them.
Within the week the chants will turn to crucify Him.
He rearranges the furniture in God’s house like its His, He confronts death. He is a threat to the status quo of how power works. He storms into the temple, Tells tress to never bear fruit again and then stand silent before His accusers.
The crowd loves Him till they can’t control Him, can’t get what they expect from Him, and then they turn.
I love Jesus as a helper, a healer, a giver of encouraging words. BUT AS A KING?
Palm Sunday shows us a King moving in humble love but also staggering demands on our allegiance and devotion.
Palm Sunday gives us a picture of our fickle hearts.
I want help. But I want to remain in control.
Jesus keeps giving up His options. He keeps letting His world narrow down until he is fastened to one place to die.
If we pay attention on Palm Sunday…
We are moved to a place of decision
Honestly one of the most miserable and disappointing places in the world is trying to be a little bit Christian.
Jesus gets it. It’s like … crown Him or kill Him.
