Matthew 21
21
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King
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 the town. 2He said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, tell him, ‘The Master needs them. He will send them back soon.’” 4This was to make clear the full meaning of what the prophet said:
5“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey.
He is on the colt of a donkey.’” Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9
6The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus. They laid their coats on the donkeys, and Jesus sat on them. 8Many people spread their coats on the road before 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. All the people were shouting,
“Praise# Literally, “Hosanna,” a Hebrew word used at first in praying to God for help. At this time it was probably a shout of joy used in praising God or his Messiah. to the Son of David!
God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118:26
Praise to God in heaven!”
10Then Jesus went into Jerusalem. The city was filled with excitement. The people asked, “Who is this man?”
11The crowd answered, “This man is Jesus. He is the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus Goes to the Temple
12Jesus went into the Temple. He threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables that belonged to the men 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 a house where people will pray.’# Quotation from Isaiah 56:7. But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”# Quotation from Jeremiah 7:11.
14The blind and crippled people came to Jesus in the Temple, and Jesus healed them. 15The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw that Jesus was doing wonderful things. They saw the children praising him in the Temple. The children were saying, “Praise# Literally, “Hosanna,” a Hebrew word used at first in praying to God for help. At this time it was probably a shout of joy used in praising God or his Messiah. 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’?”# Quotation from the Septuagint (Greek) version of Psalm 8:2.
17Then Jesus left and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
The Power of Faith
18Early the next morning, Jesus was going back to the city. He was very hungry. 19He saw a fig tree beside the road. Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, “You will never again have fruit!” The tree immediately dried up.
20His followers saw this and were amazed. They asked, “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?”
21Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what 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.”
Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority
23Jesus went to the Temple. While he was teaching there, the leading priests and the elders of the people came to Jesus. They said to him, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things? 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 that come from God or from man?”
The priests and the leaders argued about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’ 26But if we say, ‘It was from man,’ we are afraid of what the people will do because they all believe that John was a prophet.”
27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things!
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 my vineyard.’ 29The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later the son decided he should go, and he went. 30Then the father went to the other son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ The son answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will go and work.’ But he did not go. 31Which of the two sons obeyed his father?”
The priests and leaders answered, “The first son.”
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth. The tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do. 32John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed John. You saw this, but you still refused to change and believe him.
God Sends His Son
33“Listen to this story: There was a man who owned a vineyard. He put a wall around the vineyard and dug a hole for a winepress. Then he built a tower. He leased the land to some farmers and left for 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. 35But the farmers grabbed the servants, beat one, killed another, and then killed a third servant with stones. 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 the servants that they had done before. 37So the man decided to send his son to the farmers. He said, ‘The farmers will respect my son.’ 38But 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, then his vineyard will be ours!’ 39So the farmers grabbed the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?”
41The priests and leaders said, “He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the vineyard to some other farmers. They 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 did not want
became the cornerstone.
The Lord did this,
and it is wonderful to us.’ Psalm 118:22-23
43“So I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who do the things God wants in his kingdom. 44The person who falls on this stone will be broken. But if the stone falls on him, he will be crushed.”# Some Greek copies do not have verse 44.
45The leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories that Jesus told. They knew he was talking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him. But they were afraid of the people, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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Matthew 21: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Matthew 21
21
1 And when they had drawn near to Jerusalem, and had arrived at Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them: "Go into the town that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Release them, and lead them to me.
3 And if anyone will have said anything to you, say that the Lord has need of them. And he will promptly dismiss them."
4 Now all this was done in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 "Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your king comes to you meekly, sitting on a donkey and on a colt, the son of one accustomed to the yoke."
6 Then the disciples, going out, did just as Jesus instructed them.
7 And they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments on them, and they helped him sit upon them.
8 Then a very numerous crowd spread their garments on the way. But others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the way.
9 And the crowds that preceded him, and those that followed, cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"
10 And when he had entered into Jerusalem, the entire city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?"
11 But the people were saying, "This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
12 And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and he cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the vendors of doves.
13 And he said to them: "It is written: 'My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have made it into a den of robbers.' "
14 And the blind and the lame drew near to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 Then the leaders of the priests and the scribes became indignant, seeing the miracles that he wrought, and the children crying out in the temple, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"
16 And they said to him, "Do you hear what these ones are saying?" But Jesus said to them, "Certainly. Have you never read: For out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have perfected praise?"
17 And leaving them behind, he went out, beyond the city, into Bethania, and he lodged here.
18 Then, as he was returning to the city in the morning, he was hungry.
19 And seeing a certain fig tree beside the way, he approached it. And he found nothing on it, except only leaves. And he said to it, "May fruit never spring forth from you, for all time." And immediately the fig tree was dried up.
20 And seeing this, the disciples wondered, saying, "How did it dry up so quickly?"
21 And Jesus responded to them by saying: "Amen I say to you, if you have faith and do not hesitate, not only shall you do this, concerning the fig tree, but even if you would say to this mountain, 'Take and cast yourself into the sea,' it shall be done.
22 And all things whatsoever that you shall ask for in prayer: believing, you shall receive."
23 And when he had arrived at the temple, as he was teaching, the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people approached him, saying: "By what authority do you do these things? And who has given this authority to you?"
24 In response, Jesus said to them: "I also will question you with one word: if you tell me this, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John, where was it from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" But they thought within themselves, saying:
26 "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' we have the crowd to fear, for they all hold John to be a prophet."
27 And so, they answered Jesus by saying, "We do not know." So he also said to them: "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 But how does it seem to you? A certain man had two sons. And approaching the first, he said: 'Son, go out today to work in my vineyard.'
29 And responding, he said, 'I am not willing.' But afterwards, being moved by repentance, he went.
30 And approaching the other, he spoke similarly. And answering, he said, 'I am going, lord.' And he did not go.
31 Which of the two did the will of the father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus said to them: "Amen I say to you, that tax collectors and prostitutes shall precede you, into the kingdom of God.
32 For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Yet even after seeing this, you did not repent, so as to believe him.
33 Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad.
34 Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits.
35 And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another.
36 Again, he sent other servants, more than before; and they treated them similarly.
37 Then, at the very end, he sent his son to them, saying: 'They will revere my son.'
38 But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.'
39 And apprehending him, they cast him outside the vineyard, and they killed him.
40 Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those farmers?"
41 They said to him, "He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time."
42 Jesus said to them: "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?'
43 Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits.
44 And whoever will have fallen on this stone shall be broken, yet truly, on whomever it shall fall, it will crush him."
45 And when the leaders of the priests, and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
46 And though they sought to take hold of him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
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