Matthew 21
21
The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
(Mk 11.1–11; Lk 19.28–40; Jn 12.12–19)
1As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead 2with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3And if anyone says anything, tell him, ‘The Master#21.3 The Master; or Their owner. needs them’; and then he will let them go at once.”
4This happened in order to make what the prophet had said come true:
5 #
Zech 9.9
“Tell the city of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you!
He is humble and rides on a donkey
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: 7they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. 8A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9#Ps 118.25, 26The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, “Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. “Who is he?” the people asked.
11“This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds answered.
Jesus Goes to the Temple
(Mk 11.15–19; Lk 19.45–48; Jn 2.13–22)
12Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, 13#Is 56.7; Jer 7.11and said to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it a hideout for thieves!”
14The blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15The chief priests and the teachers of the Law became angry when they saw the wonderful things he was doing and the children shouting in the Temple, “Praise to David's Son!” 16#Ps 8.2 (LXX)So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?”
“Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’ ”
17Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
(Mk 11.12–14, 20–24)
18On his way back to the city early next morning, Jesus was hungry. 19He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. So he said to the tree, “You will never again bear fruit!” At once the fig tree dried up.
20The disciples saw this and were astounded. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.
21 #
Mt 17.20; 1 Cor 13.2 Jesus answered, “I assure you that if you believe and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I have done to this fig tree. And not only this, but you will even be able to say to this hill, ‘Get up and throw yourself in the sea,’ and it will. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Question about Jesus' Authority
(Mk 11.27–33; Lk 20.1–8)
23Jesus came back to the Temple; and as he taught, the chief priests and the elders came to him and asked, “What right have you to do these things? Who gave you this right?”
24Jesus answered them, “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things. 25Where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?”
They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we answer, ‘From God,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 26But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ we are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”
And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “Now, what do you think? There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the elder one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29‘I don't want to,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. ‘Yes, sir,’ he answered, but he did not go. 31Which one of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The elder one,” they answered.
So Jesus said to them, “I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you. 32#Lk 3.12; 7.29–30For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard
(Mk 12.1–12; Lk 20.9–19)
33 #
Is 5.1–2
“Listen to another parable,” Jesus said. “There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he let out the vineyard to tenants and went on a journey. 34When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest. 35The tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again the man sent other slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said. 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and we will get his property!’ 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” Jesus asked.
41“He will certainly kill those evil men,” they answered, “and let the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him his share of the harvest at the right time.”
42 #
Ps 118.22–23
Jesus said to them, “Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.
This was done by the Lord;
what a wonderful sight it is!’
43 “And so I tell you,” added Jesus, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce the proper fruits.”#21.43 Some manuscripts add verse 44: Whoever falls on this stone will be cut to pieces; and if the stone falls on someone, it will crush him to dust (see Lk 20.18).
45The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables and knew that he was talking about them, 46so they tried to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
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Matthew 21: GNBUK
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. 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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