1. Maundy Thursday, April 2nd, Communion Service 6:00 PM
2. Good Friday, April 3rd, Tenebrae Service 7:00 PM
3. Saturday, April 4th, Men's Breakfast 8:00 AM
4. Easter Sunday, April 5th, Easter Egg Hunt During the Sunday School Hour
We will have our annual Easter Egg Hunt during the Sunday School hour on Easter Sunday. Please bring some cookies to share for fellowship time. The High School Youth will be stuffing the Easter Eggs during our Wednesday Night fellowship so please bring plastic eggs and candy to the church office by Wednesday afternoon.
Scripture
Matthew 21:1-17 (ESV)
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth-phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. [3] If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." [4] This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
[5] "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.' " [6] The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. [8] Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" [10] And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" [11] And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
[12] And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [13] He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."
[14] And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant, [16] and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, " 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" [17] And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Questions for Reflection
1. Jesus sent two of His disciples to find and return with what? Why? (21:2-3)
2. Why was this incident significant? (21:4-5)
3. How did the two disciples respond to Jesus’ instructions? (21:6)
4. When the men returned with the donkey and colt, what did Jesus do? (21:7)
5. What did the gathered crowd place on the road? Why? (21:8)
6. What size crowd participated in welcoming Jesus? (21:8)
7. What did the crowds shout as Jesus entered Jerusalem? (21:9)
8. How did this “parade” affect those living in Jerusalem? (21:10)
9. How much do you think “the crowds” today understand Jesus’ purpose and mission?
10. In what ways do we simplistically “cheer” Jesus?
