CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Read Mark 11:1-25.

2. Expectations vs. Reality – The people expected a Messiah who would take political power, but Jesus entered humbly and then confronted the dysfunction of the temple (Mark 11:1–17). Share times when you have expected Jesus to fit our own desires rather than who he truly is. How do you know today if you’re struggling to embrace the real Jesus?

3. Fruit vs. Facade – Jesus rebukes the fig tree as a symbolic critique of the temple (Mark 11:12–14, 20–21). The temple looked impressive but wasn’t fulfilling its purpose. What does this teach us about genuine faith vs. empty religion? How can we ensure our faith produces real fruit instead of just appearances?

4. Jesus & Righteous Anger – Jesus’ cleansing of the temple and his frustration with the fig tree show his intensity (Mark 11:15–19). What makes Jesus angry here and how does that challenge our view of “meek and mild Jesus”? On the other hand, how can we not use this passage as a justification for our angry outbursts? What does true righteous anger look like for Christians?

Title: Jesus Arrives
Reference: Mark 11:1-21
Speaker: Jacob Nannie, JacobN@cckc.church

Story 1: Jesus and The Donkey

Story 2: Jesus and The Temple

Either you’ll have to crown him or you’ll have to kill him. The one thing you can’t do is just say, ‘What an interesting guy.’ ~ Tim Keller, King’s Cross

Story 3: Jesus and The Fig Tree

– What are the symptoms of fruitless religion?

Symptom 1: Our busyness for Jesus overtakes our being with Jesus.

[The Temple] was religiously very busy, just like most churches are: tasks, committees, noise, people coming and going, lots of transactions. But the busyness contained no spirituality. Nobody was actually praying. There are many things we do that can appear to be signs of real belief but can grow without real heart change. Evidently we can be very busy in church activities without real heart change and without real compassionate involvement with others. ~ Tim Keller

Symptom 2: Our trust shifts from a person to practices.

Symptom 3: Our outrage outpaces our obedience.

– What fruit am I bearing?

A community that does not nourish the expectation that God will answer prayer will not see the activity of God in its midst. ~ Sharyn Dowd

Unforgiven sin blocks God’s answers to prayer and in order to receive God’s forgiveness for their sins, Christians must forgive each other as well. ~ Sharyn Dowd

• Am I being transformed by my time with Jesus, or am I simply filling my life with religious activity?

• If I’m feeling a lack of peace or assurance, is my first instinct to try harder at church practices, or is it to go to Jesus as my only hope?

• What is one specific sphere of my life—my finances, my language, my work ethic, my relationships—where Jesus is calling me to a greater, more focused obedience this week?

Symptom 1: Our busyness for Jesus overtakes our being with Jesus.