Weekly Teaching Reflection

March 29th Reflection

Discussion Questions

Palm Sunday: Why Palm Branches?

Discussion Questions

  1. In Mark 11, the crowd shouts “Hosanna” as Jesus enters Jerusalem. What do you think they expected Jesus to do in that moment? How does that compare to what He actually did?

  2. The same crowd that praised Jesus later turned against Him. What are some reasons expectations can shift so quickly when God doesn’t act the way we hope?

  3. Palm branches symbolized victory, freedom, and political liberation. What “palm branch expectations” do people today often place on God or Jesus?

  4. Which group’s expectations (Pharisees, Zealots, Essenes, Sadducees, or the general crowd) do you find yourself relating to most? Why?

  5. Jesus fulfilled prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) but not in the way people anticipated. Can you think of a time in your life when God showed up differently than you expected? What did you learn?

  6. Why do you think Jesus chose humility (riding a donkey, nonviolence, surrender) instead of power and force? What does that reveal about the kind of King He is?

  7. The teaching suggests we often want “deliverance on our terms.” What might it look like to trust God’s way of bringing salvation instead of insisting on our own?

  8. Looking at Book of Revelation 7, how does the meaning of victory change from Palm Sunday to this future picture? What kind of hope does that give you?

 

Key Verses for Reflection

Encourage your group to sit with these passages during the week:

  • Mark 11:9–10
    “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

  • Zechariah 9:9
    “See, your king comes to you… lowly and riding on a donkey…”

  • Psalms 118:25
    “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!”

  • Revelation 7:9–10
    “Salvation belongs to our God… and to the Lamb.”

For Practice This Week

Practice: Surrendering Expectations in Prayer

Each day this week, take a few minutes to pray honestly about something you’re hoping God will do.

  1. Name your expectation clearly (healing, direction, provision, change, etc.).

  2. Pray “Hosanna” (“Lord, save now”) with sincerity.

  3. Then add this surrender:
    “Jesus, I trust not just that You will save, but how You choose to do it.”


Where might I be tempted to follow Jesus only if He meets my expectations?

 

Listen to this week’s teaching