For the first time, Jesus openly signifies to the people that he is setting himself up as king. What does Jesus do to signify this? Why do you think this is important?
Verse 12-17: What are some ways in which earnest churches can be corrupted over time to serve their own agenda? Have you ever seen it happen in a church you attended?
What are some blessings of having a well-funded church? What are some pitfalls of a well-funded church? How do we be wise with our funds/resources?
Verse 18-22: Is there a skill or hobby you used to have that you have long since forgotten or ignored?
How has God pruned your life? Has He ever pruned something from your life for the better? Has something ever been pruned from your life because you were no longer fruitful in it?
Do you think you can perform miracles like Jesus with only enough faith? Do you think God really gives us what we ask for in prayer? What does a faith that moves mountains look like?
Verse 23-27: As your children became older, did you find you gained, maintained, or lost influence with your children? When your children were little, how did you establish authority in their lives? How do we maintain influence with them now?
What kind of authority do we have as Christians? How as Christians do we gain, maintain, or lose influence with others?
What are some sources of authority that legitimize what a person says or does? What are some sources of authority that have no bearing on whether or not a person has legitimacy?
Verse 28-32: What were your least favorite chores growing up? Did you ever have to do a job you hate? Why did you do that job? Did you learn anything from doing that job? Would you make your kids do chores they don’t like?
What are the unglamorous church jobs? Have you ever found yourself not doing the will of the Father because you didn’t want to do the unglamorous job? What might we miss out on by not taking up some jobs we don’t want? What are some needs in your church that are not being met today that need someone’s attention?
Verse 33-45: Do you think the current quality of our presidential candidates matches the magnitude of the position? Explain why or why not.
What is it that we often look for in our leaders? What were the chief priests and Pharisees looking for from their messiah? What is it that Jesus has to offer?