The Triumphal Entry
1 When 11:1–11 Mt 21:1–11; Lk 19:28–44; Jn 12:12–19 they approached Jerusalem, 11:1 Mt 23:37; Ac 8:1 at Bethphage and Bethany 11:1 Mt 26:6; Lk 24:50; Jn 11:1,18; 12:1 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 colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their clothes on the road, 11:8 Mk 8:27 and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. 11:8 Other mss read others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name 11:9 Jn 10:25of the Lord! 11:9 Ps 118:26, 11:9 Lk 1:42; Heb 6:14
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom 11:10 Mk 1:15; 9:1
of our father David! 11:10 Lk 1:27; Ac 2:29; 4:25
Hosanna 11:10 Mk 11:9 in the highest heaven!
11 He went into Jerusalem 11:11 Mt 23:37 and into the temple. 11:11 Ac 21:26 After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany 11:11 Mk 11:1 with the Twelve.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed
12 The 11:12–19 Mt 21:12–19; Lk 19:45–48 next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig 11:13 Lk 6:44; Jn 1:48 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 11:14 Mt 3:8; 7:16–21from you again! " 11:14 Jr 8:13 And his disciples 11:14 Mk 10:10 heard it.
Cleansing the Temple
15 They came to Jerusalem, 11:15 Mt 23:37 and he went into the temple 11:15 Ac 21:26 and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers 11:15 Jn 2:15 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, 11:17 Mk 1:2; Ac 15:15My house 11:17 Lk 11:51; Jn 2:17will be called a house of prayer 11:17 Ac 12:5; 16:13for all nations? 11:17 Is 56:7But you have made it a den of thieves! " 11:17 Jr 7:11, 11:17 Jr 7:11
18 The chief priests and the scribes 11:18 Mt 2:4 heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid 11:18 Ps 147:11; Pr 1:7; Rv 14:7 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 11:20–26 Mt 21:19–22 in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter 11:21 Lk 6:14; Ac 10:32 remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, 11:21 Jn 11:8 look! The fig tree that you cursed 11:21 Jms 3:9 has withered."
22 Jesus replied to them, "Have faith in God. 11:22 Mt 17:2023 Truly I tell you, 11:23 Ps 72:19; Rv 22:21if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt 11:23 Ac 10:20in his heart, but believes 11:23 Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8–10that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 11:23 Mk 9:23; Jn 11:2224 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray 11:24 Mt 5:44; Ac 12:12and ask for 11:24 Jn 14:13; Jms 1:5— believe that you have received 11:24 Some mss read you receive; other mss read you will receive, 11:24 Mt 7:8it and it will be yours.25 And whenever you stand 11:25 Lk 18:11praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive 11:25 Mt 6:12; 9:2him, so that your Father 11:25 Mt 5:16; Lk 11:13in heaven 11:25 Mt 6:1; Lk 12:33will also forgive 11:25 Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2you your wrongdoing." 11:25 Some mss include v. 26: "But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing."
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 They 11:27–33 Mt 21:23–27; Lk 20:1–8 came again to Jerusalem. 11:27 Mt 23:37 As he was walking in the temple, 11:27 Ac 21:26 the chief priests, the scribes, 11:27 Mt 2:4 and the elders 11:27 3Jn 1 came 28 and asked him, "By what authority 11:28 Mk 1:22 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; 11:29 Mk 4:14then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.30 Was John’s baptism 11:30 Lk 7:29; Ac 18:25; 19:3from 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 11:31 1Jn 5:10 him? ’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ " — they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet. 11:32 Mt 2:23; Ac 7:5233 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."