The Entry into Jerusalem

1. And when they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, toward the Mount of Olives, he sends two of his disciples.
2. And he says to them, “Go into the village before you, and immediately, entering into it, you will find a colt tied, upon which no one among people has yet sat; untie it and bring it.”
3. “And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it back here.”
4. And they went away and found a colt tied at a door, outside on the street, and they untie it.
5. And some of those standing there were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”
6. And they spoke to them just as Jesus said, and they let them go.
7. And they bring the colt to Jesus and throw their garments upon it, and he sat on it.
8. And many spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the fields.
9. And those going before and those following were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord!”
10. “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, into the temple, and when he had looked around at everything, since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The Fig Tree and the Temple

12. And the next day, as they were coming out from Bethany, he became hungry.
13. And seeing from a distance a fig tree having leaves, he went to see if he might find something on it; and coming to it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14. And answering, Jesus said to it, “May no one eat fruit from you any longer, forever,” and his disciples were listening.
15. And they come into Jerusalem, and entering into the temple he began to cast out those selling and those buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those selling doves.
16. And he would not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the temple.
17. And he was teaching and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
18. And the chief priests and the scribes heard, and they began seeking how they might destroy him, for they were afraid of him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
19. And when evening came, they were going out of the city.

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

20. And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
21. And Peter, remembering, says to him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
22. And answering, Jesus says to them, “Have faith in God.”
23. “Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says is happening, it will be so for him.”
24. “For this reason I say to you, all things whatever you pray and ask, believe that you receive them, and they will be for you.”
25. “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, in order that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
26. “But if you do not forgive, neither will yourFather who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

27. And they come again into Jerusalem, and as he is walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders come to him.
28. And they were saying to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority so that you do these things?”
29. And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.”
30. “The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men? Answer me.”
31. And they were reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’”
32. “But shall we say, ‘From men?”, they were afraid of the crowd, for all were holding John to be truly a prophet.
33. And answering Jesus they say, “We do not know.” And Jesus says to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”