Mark 11:15–33

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

¹⁵They came to Jerusalem,^bb and he went into the temple^bc and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers^bd and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. ¹⁷He was teaching them: “Is it not written,^be My house^bf will be called a house of prayer^bg for all nations?^C But you have made it a den of thieves!”^Dbh

¹⁸The chief priests and the scribes^a heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid^b of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

¹⁹Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

THE BARREN FIG TREE IS WITHERED

²⁰Early^c in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹Then Peter^d remembered and said to him, “Rabbi,^e look! The fig tree that you cursed^f has withered.”

²²Jesus 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 believes^j that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.^{k 24}Therefore I tell you, everything you pray^l and ask for^m—believe that you have received^En it and it will be yours. ²⁵And whenever you stand^o praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive^p him, so that your Father^q in heaven^r will also forgive^s you your wrongdoing.”

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED

²⁷They^t came again to Jerusalem.^u As he was walking in the temple,^v the chief priests, the scribes,^w and the elders^x came ²⁸and asked him, “By what authority^y are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”

²⁹Jesus 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. ³⁰Was John’s baptism^aa from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”

³¹They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe^ab him?’ ³²But 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.”