The Triumphal Entry
1 When v they approached Jerusalem, w at Bethphage and Bethany x near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this? ’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’ ”
4 So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, 5 and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt? ” 6 They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.
7 They brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their clothes on the road, y and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. N 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name z of the Lord! O,a
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom b
of our father David! c
Hosanna d in the highest heaven!
11 He went into Jerusalem e and into the temple. f After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany g with the Twelve.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed
12 The h next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig i tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit j from you again! ” k And his disciples l heard it.
Cleansing the Temple
15 They came to Jerusalem, m and he went into the temple n and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers o and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. 17 He was teaching them: “Is it not written, p My house q will be called a house of prayer r for all nations? P But you have made it a den of thieves! ” Q,s
18 The chief priests and the scribes t heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid u of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.
19 Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered
20 Early v in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter w remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, x look! The fig tree that you cursed y has withered.”
22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. z 23 Truly I tell you, a if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt b in his heart, but believes c that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. d 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray e and ask for f—believe that you have received R,g it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand h praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive i him, so that your Father j in heaven k will also forgive l you your wrongdoing.” S
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 They m came again to Jerusalem. n As he was walking in the temple, o the chief priests, the scribes, p and the elders q came 28 and asked him, “By what authority r are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things? ”
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; s then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism t from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”
31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe u him? ’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet. v 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”