Matthew 21:1-27 ▼

1 When they were come near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on in front,

2 saying to them, "Go to the village you see facing you, and as you enter it you will find a she-ass tied up and a foal with her. Untie her and bring them to me.

3 And if any one says anything to you, say, 'The Master needs them,' and he will at once send them."

4 This took place in order that the Prophet's prediction might be fulfilled:

5 "Tell the Daughter of Zion, 'See, thy King is coming to thee, gentle, and yet mounted on an ass, even on a colt the foal of a beast of burden.'"

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them:

7 they brought the she-ass and the foal, and threw their outer garments on them. So He sat on them;

8 and most of the crowd kept spreading their garments along the road, while others cut branches from the trees and carpeted the road with them,

9 and the multitudes--some of the people preceding Him and some following--sang aloud, "God save the Son of David! Blessings on Him who comes in the Lord's name! God in the highest Heavens save Him!"

10 When He thus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into commotion, every one inquiring, "Who is this?"

11 "This is Jesus, the Prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee," replied the crowds.

12 Entering the Temple, Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there, and overturned the money-changers' tables and the seats of the pigeon-dealers.

13 "It is written," He said, "'My House shall be called the House of Prayer', but you are making it a robbers' cave."

14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the Temple, and He cured them.

15 But when the High Priests and the Scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done and the children who were crying aloud in the Temple, "God save the Son of David," they were filled with indignation.

16 "Do you hear," they asked Him, "what these children are saying?" "Yes," He replied; "have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and of babes at the breast Thou hast brought forth the praise which is due'?"

17 So He left them and went out of the city to Bethany and passed the night there.

18 Early in the morning as He was on His way to return to the city He was hungry,

19 and seeing a fig-tree on the road-side He went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. "On you," He said, "no fruit shall ever again grow." And immediately the fig-tree withered away.

20 When the disciples saw it they exclaimed in astonishment, "How instantaneously the fig-tree has withered away!"

21 "I solemnly tell you," said Jesus, "that if you have an unwavering faith, you shall not only perform such a miracle as this of the fig-tree, but that even if you say to this mountain, 'Be thou lifted up and hurled into the sea,' it shall be done;

22 and everything, whatever it be, that you ask for in your prayers, if you have faith, you shall obtain."

23 He entered the Temple; and while He was teaching, the High Priests and the Elders of the people came to Him and asked Him, "By what authority are you doing these things? and who gave you this authority?"

24 "And I also have a question to ask *you*," replied Jesus, "and if you answer me, I in turn will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 John's Baptism, whence was it? --had it a heavenly or a human origin?" So they debated the matter among themselves. "If we say 'a heavenly origin,'" they argued, "he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

26 and if we say 'a human origin' we have the people to fear, for they all hold John to have been a Prophet."

27 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." "Nor do I tell you," He replied, "by what authority I do these things."