Matthew 21:12–46
12 jThen Jesus went into the temple 4of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the kmoney changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, l‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a m‘den of thieves.’ ”
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the nSon of David!” they were 5indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
o‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17 Then He left them and pwent out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
18 qNow in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 rAnd seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
20 sAnd when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, tif you have faith and udo not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, vbut also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And wwhatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
23 xNow when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and ysaid, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The zbaptism of aJohn—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we bfear the multitude, cfor all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”
And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my dvineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, e“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For fJohn came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; gbut tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward 6relent and believe him.
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner hwho planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and iwent into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 jAnd the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his kson to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, l‘This is the heir. mCome, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 nSo they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 oThey said to Him, p“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, qand lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will 7render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
r‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I say to you, sthe kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And twhoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, uit will grind him to powder.”
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they 8perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they vfeared the multitudes, because wthey took Him for a prophet.