Mark 11:15–33

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

15 They came to Jerusalem,bb and he went into the templebc and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changersbd 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,be My housebf will be called a house of prayerbg for all nations?C But you have made it a den of thieves!”D,bh

18 The chief priests and the scribesa heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraidb 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 Earlyc in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peterd remembered and said to him, “Rabbi,e look! The fig tree that you cursedf has withered.”

22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.g 23 Truly I tell you,h if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubti in his heart, but believesj that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.k 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you prayl and ask form—believe that you have receivedE,n it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stando praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgivep him, so that your Fatherq in heavenr will also forgives you your wrongdoing.”*

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED

27 Theyt came again to Jerusalem.u As he was walking in the temple,v the chief priests, the scribes,w and the eldersx came 28 and asked him, “By what authorityy 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;z then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptismaa from 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 believeab him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.ac 33 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.”