Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem, and he teaches his disciples what it means to follow him in a difficult world. With crowds surrounding them and enemies plotting against them, the disciples will be tempted to hypocrisy—trying to show people only what they want to see. Jesus says this is the one thing they must not do, and he gives them a lesson on fear, forgiveness, and how the gospel makes you a whole person wherever you go and whatever you face.

1. Do you feel the pull of hypocrisy in your own life? Are there any areas in your life where you see its effects?
2. Do you present yourself a certain way in Christian environments that doesn’t reflect reality? Do you present yourself a certain way in non-Christian environments that doesn’t reflect reality?
3. How does fear play a role in your answers to the above?
4. How does the gospel address those fears and help you be a whole person wherever you go?