21As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.G2532G3753G1448G1519G2414G2532G2064G1519G967G4314G3735G1636G5119G649G2424G1417G31012"Go into the village over there," he said. "As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.G3004G846G4198G1519G2968G561G5216G2532G2112G2147G3688G1210G2532G4454G3326G846G3089G71G34273If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, `The Lord needs them,' and he will immediately let you take them."G2532G1437G5100G2036G5100G5213G2046G3754G2962G2192G5532G846G1161G2112G649G8464This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,G1161G3650G5124G1096G2443G4137G3588G4483G1223G4396G30045"Tell the people of Israel, `Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey's colt.'"G2036G2364G4622G2400G4675G935G2064G4671G4239G2532G1910G1909G3688G2532G4454G5207G52686The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.G1161G3101G4198G2532G4160G2531G2424G4367G8467They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.G71G3688G2532G4454G2532G2007G1883G846G846G2440G2532G1940G1940G1883G8468Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.G1161G4118G3793G4766G1438G2440G1722G3598G1161G243G2875G2798G575G1186G2532G4766G1722G35989Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!"G1161G3793G4254G2532G190G2896G3004G5614G5207G1138G2127G2064G1722G3686G2962G5614G1722G531010The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. "Who is this?" they asked.G2532G846G1525G1519G2414G3956G4172G4579G3004G5101G2076G377811And the crowds replied, "It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."G1161G3793G3004G3778G2076G2424G4396G575G3478G1056
Jesus Clears the Temple
12Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.G2532G2424G1525G1519G2411G2316G2532G1544G3956G4453G2532G59G1722G2411G2532G2690G5132G2855G2532G2515G4453G405813He said to them, "The Scriptures declare, `My Temple will be called a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves!"G2532G3004G846G1125G3450G3624G2564G3624G4335G1161G5210G4160G846G4693G302714The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.G2532G5185G2532G5560G4334G846G1722G2411G2532G2323G84615The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David." But the leaders were indignant.G1161G749G2532G1122G1492G2297G3739G4160G2532G3816G2896G1722G2411G2532G3004G5614G5207G1138G2316They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" "Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven't you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, `You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'G2532G2036G846G191G5101G3778G3004G1161G2424G3004G846G3483G3763G314G3754G1537G4750G3516G2532G2337G2675G13617Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.G2532G2641G846G1831G1854G4172G1519G963G2532G835G1563
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry,G1161G4405G1877G1519G4172G398319and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the fig tree withered up.G2532G1492G3391G4808G1909G3598G2064G1909G846G2532G2147G3762G1722G846G1508G5444G3440G2532G3004G846G1096G2590G1096G1537G4675G3371G1519G165G2532G3916G4808G358320The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"G2532G3101G1492G2296G3004G4459G3916G4808G358321Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, `May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.G2424G611G1161G2036G846G281G3004G5213G1437G2192G4102G2532G1252G3361G4160G3756G3440G4160G3440G4808G235G2579G2036G5129G3735G142G2532G906G1519G2281G109622You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."G2532G3956G302G3745G154G1722G4335G4100G2983
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?"G2532G846G2064G1519G2411G749G2532G4245G2992G4334G846G1321G3004G1722G4169G1849G4160G5023G2532G5101G1325G4671G5026G184924"I'll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question," Jesus replied.G1161G2424G611G2036G846G2504G2065G5209G1520G3056G3739G1437G2036G3427G2504G2046G5213G1722G4169G1849G4160G502325"Did John's authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?" They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn't believe John.G908G2491G4159G2258G1537G3772G2228G1537G444G1161G1260G3844G1438G3004G1437G2036G1537G3772G2046G2254G1302G4100G3756G3767G4100G84626But if we say it was merely human, we'll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet."G1161G1437G2036G1537G444G5399G3793G1063G3956G2192G2491G5613G439627So they finally replied, "We don't know." And Jesus responded, "Then I won't tell you by what authority I do these things.G2532G611G2424G2036G3756G1492G2532G846G5346G846G3761G3004G1473G5213G1722G4169G1849G4160G5023
Parable of the Two Sons
28"But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, `Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'G1161G5101G1380G5213G444G2192G1417G5043G2532G4334G4413G2036G5043G5217G2038G4594G1722G3450G29029The son answered, `No, I won't go,' but later he changed his mind and went anyway.G1161G611G2036G2309G3756G1161G5305G3338G56530Then the father told the other son, `You go,' and he said, `Yes, sir, I will.' But he didn't go.G2532G4334G1208G2036G5615G1161G611G2036G1473G2962G2532G565G375631"Which of the two obeyed his father?" They replied, "The first." Then Jesus explained his meaning: "I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.G5101G1537G1417G4160G2307G3962G3004G846G4413G2424G3004G846G281G3004G5213G3754G5057G2532G4204G4254G1519G932G2316G4254G520932For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn't believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.G1063G2491G2064G4314G5209G1722G3598G1343G2532G4100G846G3756G1161G5057G2532G4204G4100G846G1161G5210G1492G3338G3756G5305G4100G846
Parable of the Evil Farmers
33"Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.G191G243G3850G2258G444G5100G3617G3748G5452G290G2532G5418G846G4060G2532G3736G3025G1722G846G2532G3618G4444G2532G1554G846G1554G1092G2532G58934At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.G1161G3753G2540G2590G1448G649G846G1401G4314G1092G2983G2590G84635But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.G2532G1092G2983G846G1401G1194G3739G3303G1161G615G3739G1161G3036G373936So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.G3825G649G243G1401G4119G4413G2532G4160G846G561537"Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, `Surely they will respect my son.'G1161G5305G649G4314G846G846G5207G3004G1788G3450G520738"But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, `Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!'G1161G1092G1492G5207G2036G1722G1438G3778G2076G2818G1205G615G846G2532G2722G846G281739So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.G2532G2983G846G1544G1854G290G2532G61540"When the owner of the vineyard returns," Jesus asked, "what do you think he will do to those farmers?"G3752G2962G3767G290G2064G5101G4160G1565G109241The religious leaders replied, "He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest."G3004G846G2560G622G846G2556G2532G1554G290G243G1092G3748G591G846G2590G1722G846G254042Then Jesus asked them, "Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures? `The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing, and it is wonderful to see.'G2424G3004G846G314G3763G314G1722G1124G3037G3739G3618G593G3778G1096G1519G2776G1137G3778G3844G2962G1096G2532G2076G2298G1722G2257G378843I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.G1223G5124G3004G5213G3754G932G2316G142G575G5216G2532G1325G1484G4160G2590G84644Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on."G2532G4098G1909G5126G3037G4917G1161G1909G3739G302G4098G3039G846G303945When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers.G2532G749G2532G5330G191G846G3850G1097G3754G3004G4012G84646They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.G2532G2212G2902G846G5399G3793G1894G2192G846G5613G4396
Unknown
, `Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey's colt.'"G2036
