Matthew 21
21
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1As 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.’ ” (Zechariah 9:9)
6The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 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!” (Psalm 118:26)
“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 courtyard. He began to drive 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.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you are making it ‘a den for robbers.’ ” (Jeremiah 7:11)
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 courtyard shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” But when they saw all 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,
“ ‘Lord, you have made sure that children and infants
praise you.’ ” (Psalm 8:2)
17Then Jesus left the people and went out of the city to Bethany. He spent the night there.
Jesus Makes a Fig Tree Dry 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 human authority?”
They talked to one another 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 human authority’? 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.
The Story of the Two Sons
28“What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29“ ‘I will not,’ the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went.
30“Then the father went to the other son. He said the same thing. The son answered, ‘I will, sir.’ But he did not go.
31“Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.
The Story of the Renters
33“Listen to another story. A man who owned some land planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it. He dug a pit for a winepress in it. He also built a lookout tower. He rented the vineyard out to some farmers. Then he moved to another place. 34When harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the renters. He told the slaves to collect his share of the fruit.
35“But the renters grabbed his slaves. They beat one of them. They killed another. They threw stones at the third to kill him. 36Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38“But the renters saw the son coming. They said to one another, ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard. Then they killed him.
40“When the owner of the vineyard comes back, what will he do to those renters?”
41“He will destroy those evil people,” they replied. “Then he will rent the vineyard out to other renters. They will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what the Scriptures say,
“ ‘The stone the builders didn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.
The Lord has done it.
It is wonderful in our eyes’? (Psalm 118:22,23)
43“So here is what I tell you. The kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who will produce its fruit. 44Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”
45The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ stories. They knew he was talking about them. 46So they looked for a way to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowd. The people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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Matthew 21: NIrV
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Matthew 21
21
The Triumphal Entry
1When they approached Jerusalem#Mk 11:1–10; Lk 19:28–38; Jn 12:12–19 and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives,#Zch 14:4; Mt 24:3; 26:30; Lk 19:29,37; 21:37; Jn 8:1; Ac 1:12 Jesus then sent two disciples, 2telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”
4This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
5 Tell Daughter Zion,
“See, your King is coming to you,
gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt,
the foal of a donkey.” # 21:5 Is 62:11; Zch 9:9 #
Is 62:11; Zch 9:9
6The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord! # 21:9 Ps 118:25–26
Hosanna in the highest heaven!#Ps 118:25; Mt 9:27; 23:39; Lk 2:14
10When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” 11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus#Mk 6:15; Lk 7:16; 13:33; 24:19; Jn 1:21; 4:19; 6:14 from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Cleansing the Temple
12Jesus went into the temple#21:12 Other mss add of God#Mk 11:15–18; Lk 19:45–47; Jn 2:14–16 and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.#Ex 30:13; Lv 1:14; 5:7; 12:8; Dt 14:25 13He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer,#21:13 Is 56:7 but you are making it a den of thieves!” #Jr 7:11#21:13 Jr 7:11
Children Praise Jesus
14The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read:
You have prepared # 21:16 Or restored praise#Ps 8:2; Mt 11:25; 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31
from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?” #21:16 Ps 8:2
17Then he left them, went out of the city to Bethany,#Mt 26:6; Mk 11:1; Lk 19:29; 24:50; Jn 11:18 and spent the night there.
The Barren Fig Tree
18Early in the morning,#Mk 11:12–14,20–24 as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.
20When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.#Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6; 1Co 13:2; Jms 1:6 22And if you believe, you will receive#Mt 7:7–8; Jn 11:22 whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23When he entered the temple,#Mk 11:27–33; Lk 20:1–8 the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” #Ex 2:14; Mt 26:55; Ac 4:7; 7:27
24Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’ #Mt 13:54; Lk 7:30; 15:18,21; Jn 3:27 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd,#Mt 14:5; 21:46; Mk 11:32; 12:12 because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”#Mt 11:9; Mk 6:20 27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’ #
Mt 20:1
29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They said, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness,#Pr 8:20; Mt 3:8–12; 2Pt 2:21 and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
33 “Listen #
Mk 12:1–12; Lk 20:9–19 to another parable:#Mt 13:3,34–36; 15:15; 22:1; 24:32 There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.#Is 5:1–2; Lk 14:28 He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.#Ps 80:8; Sg 8:11–12; Mt 25:14 34When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit. 35The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.#2Ch 24:21; Neh 9:26; Mt 5:12; 23:34,37; Ac 7:52; 1Th 2:15; Heb 11:36–37 36Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ #
Ps 2:8; Heb 1:2 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
41“He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”#Mt 8:11; Ac 13:46; 18:6; 28:28
42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone. # 21:42 Lit the head of the corner
This is what the Lord has done
and it is wonderful in our eyes? # 21:42 Ps 118:22–23 #
Ps 118:22–23; Ac 4:11; Rm 9:33; 1Pt 2:7
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. 44Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; #Is 8:14–15; Rm 9:32–33; 1Pt 2:8 but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”#21:44 Some mss omit this verse
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,#Mt 13:3,35; 15:15; 21:33; 22:1; 24:32 they knew he was speaking about them. 46Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because the people regarded him as a prophet.#Mt 26:4; Mk 11:18; Lk 19:47–48; Jn 7:25,30,44
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