Has anyone famous ever come from Ellijay?
Jimmy Carter used to have a home here. Locals will tell you stories of he and his wife Rosalynn visiting from time to time. I am sure that no matter what your politics, it was exciting to have a former president in our little town.
How does Jesus compare in power, fame, and prestige to any celebrity or hero we could think of today?
Mark 11:1-7 NLT
As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’ ” The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.
Imagine walking into a stranger’s backyard in Ellijay, and untying a donkey. How would you have felt about Jesus’ instructions? Would you have obeyed? Doubted?
Zechariah 9:9 NLT
Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.
In ancient times, a conquering king would ride into the newly-conquered city on the steed of the defeated king.. It was a demonstration that the new king had taken authority from the former king. How does this make the “donkey that no one has ever ridden” significant?
Does a donkey even seem appropriate for a king? Why or why not?
What were the people expecting Jesus to do when He reached Jerusalem?
How were the people’s expectations of the Messiah different from Jesus’ true intentions?
When have your expectations about God been different from the way He has revealed Himself to you?
If you had been a Jew living in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, what would have made you reject and oppose Jesus?
Isaiah 40:3 ESV
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
What did the people indicate about their own view of and response to Jesus by laying down their coats and waving palms or branches along His path? What can we do in our own lives to “prepare the way for the Lord”?
What expectations do we place on Christ today? Do we think of Him as a power that will serve our desires or do we see Him as the Lord who is worthy of our worship?
What can we do this week to publicly acknowledge Jesus as King—both individually and corporately at our church? How will this define the way we speak and act as followers of Jesus?