THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. EASTER is just around the corner, and we’d love for you to join us as we celebrate the resurrection. Our Good Friday service will provide space to contemplate the depth of Jesus’s sacrifice, while our Easter celebration service will focus on the joy and hope found in our risen Savior. These services are also a great opportunity to invite family, friends or neighbors to attend—anyone who could use a reminder of God’s love and grace. For information on service times, click HERE.
GROUP VALUES. For the month of April, we will focus on OUR STORIES. Knowing and sharing our stories is an essential part of building community in small groups. This is because God made us to be people that inhabit a story. For example, God communicates who he is and what is true about him and creation through the story of the Bible. If it has been a while, set aside time this month to share your stories in small group. For help, consider the 2×2 Method HERE.
GROW AS A LEADER. Attentive LISTENING is hard work but essential for a healthy, growing community. Read the article “The Gift of Listening” at smallgroups.com for helpful teaching and tips about listening well and creating space for your group members to share openly.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the fourth week of our sermon series, THE FINAL HOURS. This week, we examine what it means to follow a different kind of king as we study Jesus’s trial before Pilate and the subsequent mockery he endured on our behalf.
ICEBREAKER
If you could meet any influential leader from history, who would it be and why?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Mark 15:1-20 aloud.
What accusations are brought against Jesus in this passage, and why are they significant?
What is the significance of Barabbas being released while Jesus is condemned?
What details about Jesus’s treatment and mocking stand out to you and why?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Jeff Manion continued our sermon series, THE FINAL HOURS, by walking us through Jesus’s trial, the mockery he endured, and what it signifies about the kind of king he is. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Though we do not have kings, our culture still has a tendency to desire specific kinds of leaders. What characteristics does our culture typically desire of its leaders in power?
In what ways do we still struggle with accepting Jesus as a different kind of king who leads through service and sacrifice rather than power?
The Jewish leaders needed an accusation against Jesus that would threaten Roman authority. How do people today try to diminish or reframe Jesus’s identity to make him less threatening to their own authority or way of life?
How does the image of Barabbas going free while Jesus is bound help you understand the reality that Jesus stood in your place? What emotions does this stir in you?
Pastor Jeff mentioned a number of contrasts, such as: his death, my life; his wounds, my healing; his imprisonment, my freedom. Which contrast resonates most deeply with you right now and why?
The sermon mentioned that who Jesus is should direct how we act as his followers. What would it look like in practical terms for you to adopt Christ’s humble, servant-hearted attitude?
Pastor Jeff summarized a tension we often feel by saying, “I want to follow Jesus. I just don’t want to follow him here.” Where is “here” for you? What fears or hesitations have kept you from yielding to him in this area?
Consider one area of your life where you’ve been reluctant to fully surrender to Jesus’s authority as king. What first step could you take this week to follow Jesus more fully in the specific area you identified?
WRAP UP
This week, we discussed what it means to follow a different kind of king—one who leads through service, sacrifice and suffering. What encouraged or challenged you the most from the sermon or this conversation, and why?