The Triumphal Entry

¹As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,

²saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

³If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵“Say to the Daughter of Zion,‘See, your King comes to you,gentle and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

⁶So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

⁸A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting:“Hosanna to the Son of David!”“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest!”

¹⁰When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹²Then Jesus entered the temple courtsand drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.

¹³And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.

¹⁵But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

¹⁶“Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked.“Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read:‘From the mouths of children and infantsYou have ordained praise’?”

¹⁷Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.

The Barren Fig Tree

¹⁸In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

²⁰When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

²¹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

²²If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

²³When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

²⁴“I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

²⁵What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?”They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

²⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

²⁷So they answered, “We do not know.”And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing.‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?”“The first,” they answered.Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

³³Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

³⁴When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.

³⁵But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

³⁶Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

³⁷Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’

³⁹So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:‘The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.This is from the Lord,and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

⁴⁴He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

⁴⁵When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them.

⁴⁶Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

The Triumphal Entry

¹As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples

²and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

³If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it shortly.’”

⁴So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. They untied it,

⁵and some who were standing there asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”

⁶The disciples answered as Jesus had instructed them, and the people gave them permission.

⁷Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.

⁸Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields.

⁹The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting:“Hosanna!”“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁰“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”“Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts.He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹²The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

¹³Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹⁵When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.

¹⁶And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

¹⁷Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁸When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

¹⁹And when evening came, Jesus and His disciples wentout of the city.

The Withered Fig Tree

²⁰As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.

²¹Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”

²²“Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them.

²³“Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.

²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

²⁵And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

²⁷After their return to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him.

²⁸“By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?”

²⁹“I will ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

³⁰John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”

³¹They deliberated among themselves what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

³²But if we say, ‘From men’...” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet.

³³So they answered, “We do not know.”And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.

²Just then some men broughtto Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

³On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

⁴But Jesus knewwhat they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

⁵Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

⁶But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

⁷And the man got up and went home.

⁸When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

⁹As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

¹⁰Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples.

¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

¹³But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Questions about Fasting

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often,but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

The Patches and the Wineskins

¹⁶No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.

¹⁷Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

The Healing Touch of Jesus

¹⁸While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”

¹⁹So Jesus got up and went with him, along with His disciples.

²⁰Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak.

²¹She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.”

²²Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.

²³When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.

²⁴“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

²⁵After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

²⁶And the news about this spread throughout that region.

Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute

²⁷As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked.“Yes, Lord,” they answered.

²⁹Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”

³⁰And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”

³¹But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.

³²As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus.

³³And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

³⁴But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”

The Lord of the Harvest

³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.

³⁶When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Similitudes and Instructions

¹Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,honor does not befit a fool.

²Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow,an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,and a rod for the backs of fools!

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly,or you yourself will be like him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly,lest he become wise in his own eyes.

⁶Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violenceis the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

⁷Like lame legs hanging limpis a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

⁸Like binding a stone into a slingis the giving of honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkardis a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

¹⁰Like an archer who wounds at randomis he who hires a fool or passerby.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,so a fool repeats his folly.

¹²Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³The slacker says, “A lion is in the road!A fierce lion roams the public square!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,so the slacker turns on his bed.

¹⁵The slacker buries his hand in the dish;it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The slacker is wiser in his own eyesthan seven men who answer discreetly.

¹⁷Like one who grabs a dog by the earsis a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

¹⁸Like a madman shooting firebrandsand deadly arrows,

¹⁹so is the man who deceives his neighborand says, “I was only joking!”

²⁰Without wood, a fire goes out;without gossip, a conflict ceases.

²¹Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire,so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

²²The words of a gossip are like choice morselsthat go down into the inmost being.

²³Like glaze covering an earthen vesselare burninglips and a wicked heart.

²⁴A hateful man disguises himself with his speech,but he lays up deceit in his heart.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,for seven abominations fill his heart.

²⁶Though his hatred is concealed by deception,his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷He who digs a pit will fall into it,and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it crushes,and a flattering mouth causes ruin.