Mark 11

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."