Matthew 21

The Triumphal Entry

11When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at 2the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.” 4Now 3this 4took place so that what was spoken through 5the prophet would be fulfilled:5“6Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on 7the cloaks. 8Most of the crowd 8spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “9Hosanna to the 10Son of David; 11Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; 12Hosanna 13in the highest!” 10When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds were saying, “This is 14Jesus the prophet, from 15Nazareth in Galilee.”

Cleansing the Temple

1216And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the 17money changers and the seats of those who were selling 18doves. 13And He said to them, “It is written: ‘19My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a 20den of robbers.”

14And those who were blind and those who limped came to Him in the temple area, and 21He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple area, “22Hosanna to the 23Son of David,” they became indignant, 16and they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘24From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” 17And He left them and went out of the city to 25Bethany, and spent the night there.

The Barren Fig Tree

1826Now in the early morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19And seeing a lone 27fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves alone; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.

20Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and 28asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, 29if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22And 30whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”

Authority Challenged

2331When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him 32while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24But Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one 33question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?” And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the 34people; for they all regard John as 35a prophet.” 27And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.

Parable of Two Sons

28“But what do you think? A man had two 36sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘37Son, go work today in the 38vineyard.’ 29But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. 30And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that 39the tax collectors and prostitutes 40will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but 41the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even 42have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.

Parable of the Landowner

33“Listen to another parable. 43There was a 44landowner who 45planted a 46vineyard and put a 47fence around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and he leased it to 48vine-growers and 49went on a journey. 34And when the 50harvest time approached, he 51sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his fruit. 35And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again, he 52sent other slaves, more than the first; and they did the same things to them. 37But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him and take possession of his inheritance!’ 39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Therefore, when the 53owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and 54lease the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the fruit in the proper seasons.”

42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘55A stone which the builders rejected, This has become the 56chief cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a 57people producing its fruit. 44And 58the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46And although they sought to arrest Him, they 59feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a 60prophet.