Matthew 21:12–19

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹²Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. ¹³Jesus said to all the people there, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house for prayer.’ ⁿ But you are changing it into a ‘hideout for robbers.’ ” ⁿ

¹⁴The blind and crippled people came to Jesus in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw that Jesus was doing wonderful things and that the children were praising him in the Temple, saying, “Praise ⁿ to the Son of David.” All these things made the priests and the teachers of the law very angry.

¹⁶They asked Jesus, “Do you hear the things these children are saying?”

Jesus answered, “Yes. Haven’t you read in the Scriptures, ‘You have taught children and babies to sing praises’?” ⁿ

¹⁷Then Jesus left and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

The Power of Faith

¹⁸Early the next morning, as Jesus was going back to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, “You will never again have fruit.” The tree immediately dried up.