Matthew 21:1–27

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

21As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage. It was on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two disciples. ²He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey tied up. Her colt will be with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them. The owner will send them right away.”

⁴This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would come true. It says,

⁵“Say to the city of Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you.

He is gentle and riding on a donkey.

He is riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”

⁶The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them. Then Jesus sat on the coats. ⁸A very large crowd spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹Some of the people went ahead of him, and some followed. They all shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. The people asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowds answered, “This is Jesus. He is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Clears Out the Temple

¹²Jesus entered the temple area. He began chasing out all those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were exchanging money. He also turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. ¹³He said to them, “It is written that the Lord said, ‘My house will be called a house where people can pray.’ But you are making it a ‘den for robbers.’ ”

¹⁴Blind people and those who were disabled came to Jesus at the temple. There he healed them. ¹⁵The chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did. They also saw the children in the temple area shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” But when they saw all of this, they became angry.

¹⁶“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus. “Haven’t you ever read about it in Scripture? It says,

“ ‘You have made sure that children and infants

praise you.’ ”

¹⁷Then Jesus left the people and went out of the city to Bethany. He spent the night there.

The Fig Tree Dries Up

¹⁸Early in the morning, Jesus was on his way back to Jerusalem. He was hungry. ¹⁹He saw a fig tree by the road. He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Right away the tree dried up.

²⁰When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.

²¹Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You must have faith and not doubt. Then you can do what was done to the fig tree. And you can say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ It will be done. ²²If you believe, you will receive what you ask for when you pray.”

The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned

²³Jesus entered the temple courtyard. While he was teaching there, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “Who gave you this authority?”

²⁴Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven? Or did it come from men?”

They talked to each other about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶But what if we say, ‘From men’? We are afraid of the people. Everyone believes that John was a prophet.”

²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.