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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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Matthew 21
21
Jesus Enters Jerusalem Like a King
(Mk. 11:1–11; Lk. 19:28–38; Jn. 12:12–19)
1Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. But first they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers into town. 2He said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will find a donkey with her colt. Untie them both, and bring them to me. 3If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, tell them, ‘The Master needs them. He will send them back soon.’”
4This showed the full meaning of what the prophet said:
5“Tell the people of Zion,#21:5 people of Zion Literally, “daughter of Zion,” meaning the city of Jerusalem.
‘Now your king is coming to you.
He is humble and riding on a donkey.
He is riding on a young donkey, born from a work animal.’” Zechariah 9:9
6The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7They brought the mother donkey and the young donkey to him. They covered the donkeys with their coats, and Jesus sat on them. 8On the way to Jerusalem, many people spread their coats on the road for Jesus. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Others were walking behind him. They all shouted,
“Praise#21:9 Praise Literally, “Hosanna,” a Hebrew word used in praying to God for help. Here, it was probably a shout of celebration used in praising God or his Messiah. Also in the last line of this verse and in verse 15. to the Son of David!
‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Psalm 118:25-26
Praise to God in heaven!”
10Then Jesus went into Jerusalem. All the people in the city were confused. They asked, “Who is this man?”
11The crowds following Jesus answered, “This is Jesus. He is the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus Goes to the Temple
(Mk. 11:15–19; Lk. 19:45–48; Jn. 2:13–22)
12Jesus went into the Temple area. He threw out all those who were selling and buying things there. He turned over the tables that belonged to those who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. 13Jesus said to them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’#Quote from Isa. 56:7. But you are changing it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’#Quote from Jer. 7:11.”
14Some blind people and some who were crippled came to Jesus in the Temple area. Jesus healed them. 15The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he was doing. And they saw the children praising him in the Temple area. The children were shouting, “Praise to the Son of David.” All this made the priests and the teachers of the law angry.
16They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
He answered, “Yes. The Scriptures say, ‘You have taught children and babies to give praise.’#Quote from Ps. 8:2 (Greek version). Have you not read that Scripture?”
17Then Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Shows the Power of Faith
(Mk. 11:12–14, 20–24)
18Early the next morning, Jesus was going back to the city. He was very hungry. 19He saw a fig tree beside the road and went to get a fig from it. But there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, “You will never again produce fruit!” The tree immediately dried up and died.
20When the followers saw this, they were very surprised. They asked, “How did the fig tree dry up and die so quickly?”
21Jesus answered, “The truth is, if you have faith and no doubts, you will be able to do the same as I did to this tree. And you will be able to do more. You will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have faith, it will happen. 22If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”
Jewish Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority
(Mk. 11:27–33; Lk. 20:1–8)
23Jesus went into the Temple area. While Jesus was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things you are doing? Who gave you this authority?”
24Jesus answered, “I will ask you a question too. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 25Tell me: When John baptized people, did his authority come from God, or was it only from other people?”
The priests and the Jewish leaders talked about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’ 26But we can’t say John’s baptism was from someone else. We are afraid of the people, because they all believe John was a prophet.”
27So they told Jesus, “We don’t know the answer.”
Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you who gave me the authority to do these things.
Jesus Uses a Story About Two Sons
28“Tell me what you think about this: There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29“The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later he decided he should go, and he went.
30“Then the father went to the other son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ He answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will go and work.’ But he did not go.
31“Which of the two sons obeyed his father?”
The Jewish leaders answered, “The first son.”
Jesus said to them, “The truth is, you are worse than the tax collectors and the prostitutes. In fact, they will enter God’s kingdom before you enter. 32John came showing you the right way to live, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed John. You saw that happening, but you would not change. You still refused to believe him.
God Sends His Son
(Mk. 12:1–12; Lk. 20:9–19)
33“Listen to this story: There was a man who owned a vineyard. He put a wall around the field and dug a hole for a winepress. Then he built a tower. He leased the land to some farmers and then left on a trip. 34Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent his servants to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.
35“But the farmers grabbed the servants and beat one. They killed another one and then stoned to death a third servant. 36So the man sent some other servants to the farmers. He sent more servants than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to them that they did the first time. 37So the man decided to send his son to the farmers. He said, ‘The farmers will respect my son.’
38“But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the owner’s son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ 39So the farmers took the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40“So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?”
41The Jewish priests and leaders said, “He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the land to other farmers, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Surely you have read this in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders refused to accept
became the cornerstone.
The Lord did this,
and it is wonderful to us.’ Psalm 118:22-23
43“So I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who do what God wants in his kingdom. 44Whoever falls on this stone will be broken. And it will crush anyone it falls on.”#21:44 Some Greek copies do not have verse 44.
45When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. 46They wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to do anything, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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