Matthew 21
21
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1As they approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two disciples, 2telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you’ll find a donkey tied up, with her colt next to her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell them, ‘The Lord needs them.’ The owner will send them right away.”
4This happened to make the words of the prophet come true:
5“Say to the city of Zion,
‘See, your king is coming to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”
6The disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 8A very large crowd spread their coats on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread those on the road. 9Some of the people went ahead of him, and some followed behind, and 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, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus Clears Out the Temple
12Jesus entered the temple courtyard and began to drive out all those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who exchanged money and the benches of those who sold doves. 13“It is written,” he told them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”
14People who were blind and disabled came to Jesus at the temple, and he healed them. 15The chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he was doing, and they heard the children in the temple courtyard shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” This made them 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,
“ ‘Even from children and infants,
Lord, you will receive praise.’ ”
17Then Jesus left them and went out of the city to spend the night in Bethany.
Jesus Makes a Fig Tree Dry Up
18Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back into Jerusalem, he was hungry. 19He saw a fig tree by the road and went up to it, but he didn’t find anything 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 answered, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do what was done to the fig tree. You can even say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive what you ask for when you pray.”
The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned
23Jesus went into the temple courtyard and started teaching there. The chief priests and elders of the people came up to him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24Jesus answered, “I’ll ask you a question too. If you answer me, I’ll tell you by what authority I’m doing these things. 25Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven, or was he acting on human authority?”
They talked this over among themselves and realized, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he’ll ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘On human authority,’ who knows what the people might do to us? They all believe that John was a prophet.”
27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus replied, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things either.”
The Story of the Two Sons
28“What do you think about this? A certain man had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29“ ‘I won’t,’ the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went.
30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. That son answered, ‘I will, sir.’ But he didn’t go.
31“Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32John came to show you the right way, and you didn’t believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even when you saw that, you didn’t turn away from your sins and believe him.
The Story of the Renters
33“Listen to another story. A certain man owned some land and planted a vineyard on it. He put up a wall around it, dug a pit for a winepress, and built a lookout tower. Then he rented the vineyard out to some farmers and moved to another place. 34When harvest time came, he sent his slaves to the renters to collect his share of the fruit.
35“But the renters mistreated his slaves. They beat one of them, killed another, and threw stones at a third. 36Then the man sent a larger group of slaves to the renters, but they treated them the same way. 37So finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
38“But when the renters saw the son coming, they said to one another, ‘He’s supposed to inherit all the owner’s property someday. Come on, let’s kill him, and then everything will be ours.’ 39So they grabbed him and dragged him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40“What will the owner of the vineyard come and do to those renters?”
41“He’ll make those cruel men suffer a cruel death,” they replied. “Then he’ll rent the vineyard out to other renters who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?
“ ‘The stone the builders wouldn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.
The Lord has done this,
and it’s wonderful in our eyes.’
43“So I tell you that the kingdom of God is going to be taken away from you and given to people who will produce its fruit. 44Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ stories, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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Matthew 21
21
1And when they drewe neere to Hierusalem, and were come to Bethphage, vnto the mount of the Oliues, then sent Iesus two disciples, 2Saying to them, Goe into the towne that is ouer against you, and anon yee shall finde an asse bounde, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them vnto me. 3And if any man say ought vnto you, say ye, that the Lord hath neede of them, and straightway he will let them goe. 4All this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, 5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Beholde, thy King commeth vnto thee, meeke and sitting vpon an asse, and a colte, the foale of an asse vsed to the yoke. 6So the disciples went, and did as Iesus had commanded them, 7And brought the asse and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and set him thereon. 8And a great multitude spred their garments in the way: and other cut downe branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9Moreouer, the people that went before, and they also that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid, Blessed be hee that commeth in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna thou which art in the highest heauens. 10And when he was come into Hierusalem, all the citie was mooued, saying, Who is this? 11And the people said, This is Iesus that Prophet of Nazareth in Galile. 12And Iesus went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them that solde and bought in the Temple, and ouerthrew the tables of the money chagers, and the seates of them that sold doues, 13And said to them, it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer: but ye haue made it a denne of theeues. 14Then the blinde, and the halt came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chiefe priestes and Scribes sawe the marueiles that hee did, and the children crying in the Temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid, they disdained, 16And said vnto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Iesus said vnto them, Yea: read ye neuer, By the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast made perfite the praise? 17So hee left them, and went out of the citie vnto Bethania, and lodged there. 18And in the morning, as he returned into the citie, he was hungrie, 19And seeing a figge tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaues onely, and said to it, Neuer fruite grow on thee henceforwards. And anon the figge tree withered. 20And when his disciples saw it, they marueiled, saying, How soone is the figge tree withered! 21And Iesus answered and said vnto them, Verely I say vnto you, if ye haue faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only doe that, which I haue done to the figge tree, but also if ye say vnto this mountaine, Take thy selfe away, and cast thy selfe into the sea, it shalbe done. 22And whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer, if ye beleeue, ye shall receiue it. 23And whe he was come into the Temple, the chiefe Priestes, and the Elders of the people came vnto him, as he was teaching, and saide, By what authoritie doest thou these things? and who gaue thee this authoritie? 24Then Iesus answered and said vnto them, I also will aske of you a certaine thing, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authoritie I doe these things. 25The baptisme of Iohn, whence was it? from heauen, or of men? Then they reasoned among themselues, saying, If we shall say, From heauen, he will say vnto vs, Why did ye not then beleeue him? 26And if we say, Of men, we feare the multitude, for all holde Iohn as a Prophet. 27Then they answered Iesus, and said, We can not tell. And he said vnto them, Neither tell I you by what authoritie I doe these things. 28But what thinke ye? A certaine man had two sonnes, and came to the elder, and saide, Sonne, goe and worke to day in my vineyarde. 29But he answered, and said, I will not: yet afterward he repented himselfe, and went. 30Then came he to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, and said, I will, Syr: yet he went not. 31Whether of them twaine did the will of the father? They saide vnto him, The first. Iesus saide vnto them, Verely I say vnto you, that the Publicanes and the harlots goe before you into the kingdome of God. 32For Iohn came vnto you in the way of righteousnes, and yee beleeued him not: but the Publicanes, and the harlots beleeued him, and ye, though ye sawe it, were not mooued with repentance afterward, that ye might beleeue him. 33Heare another parable, There was a certaine housholder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepresse therein, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange countrey. 34And when the time of the fruite drewe neere, hee sent his seruants to the husbandmen to receiue the fruites thereof. 35And ye husbandmen tooke his seruants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36Againe hee sent other seruants, moe then the first: and they did the like vnto them. 37But last of all he sent vnto them his owne sonne, saying, They will reuerence my sonne. 38But when the husbandmen saw the sonne, they saide among themselues, This is the heire: come, let vs kill him, and let vs take his inheritance. 39So they tooke him, and cast him out of the vineyarde, and slewe him. 40When therefore the Lord of the vineyarde shall come, what will hee doe to those husbandmen? 41They saide vnto him, Hee will cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard vnto other husbandmen, which shall deliuer him the fruites in their seasons. 42Iesus saide vnto them, Read ye neuer in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the corner? This was the Lordes doing, and it is marueilous in our eyes. 43Therefore say I vnto you, The kingdome of God shalbe taken from you, and shalbe giuen to a nation, which shall bring foorth the fruites thereof. 44And whosoeuer shall fall on this stone, he shalbe broken: but on whomsoeuer it shall fall, it will dash him a pieces. 45And when the chiefe Priestes and Pharises had heard his parables, they perceiued that hee spake of them. 46And they seeking to laye handes on him, feared the people, because they tooke him as a Prophet.
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