Matthew 21
21
1Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem. As they were getting close, they came to the village of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two disciples on ahead, 2telling them, “Go into the village. Right there you'll find a donkey tied up with a colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone asks you what you're doing, just tell them, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and they will send them right away.”
4This was to fulfill what the prophet said: 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, and rides a donkey, and a colt, the offspring of a donkey.’”#21:5. Referencing Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9.
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed. 7They brought back the donkey and the colt. They placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8Many people in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and laid them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed were all shouting, “Hosanna#21:9. An Aramaic word meaning “please save us,” used as an exclamation of praise. to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!#21:9. Quoting Psalms 118:26. Hosanna in the highest!”
10When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. “Who is this?” they were asking.
11“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds replied.
12Jesus went into the Temple, and threw out all the people buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the chairs of the dove-sellers. 13He told them, “Scripture says, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’#21:13. Quoting Isaiah 56:7. but you've turned it into a den of thieves.”
14The blind and the lame came to Jesus in the Temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and religious teachers saw the wonderful miracles he did, and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the son of David,” they were offended.
“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
16“Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven't you ever read the Scripture that says, ‘You arranged for children and infants to give you perfect praise’?”#21:16. Quoting Psalms 8:2. 17Jesus left them and went out of the city to stay at Bethany.
18The next morning as he walked back into the city, he was hungry. 19He saw a fig tree at the side of the road, so he went over to it but didn't find any fruit, only leaves.
He told the fig tree, “May you never ever produce fruit again!” Immediately the fig tree withered.
20The disciples were amazed to see this. “How did the fig tree wither so suddenly?” they asked.
21“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “If you really trust in God, and don't doubt him, you could not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even more. If you said to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea,’ it would happen! 22You will receive everything you ask for in prayer, as long as you trust in God.”
23Jesus went into the Temple. The chief priests and the ruling elders of the people came to him while he was teaching and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24“I too will ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “If you give me the answer, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Where did the baptism of John come from? Was it from heaven, or was it from human beings?”
They argued with each other. “If we say ‘It was from heaven,’ then he'll ask us why we didn't believe him. 26But if we say, ‘It was from human beings,’ then the crowd will turn against us,#21:26. Literally, “we fear the crowd.” because they all consider John to be a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”
“Then I won't tell you by what authority I'm doing these things,” Jesus replied. 28“But what do you think about this illustration? Once there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son, and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29The son answered, ‘I won't,’ but afterwards he was sorry for what he said and he did go. 30The man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I'll go,’ but he didn't. 31Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
“I tell you the truth: tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you,” Jesus told them. 32“John came to show you the way to live right with God, and you didn't believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Later, when you saw what happened, you still didn't repent and believe him.
33Here's another illustration. There once was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. He rented it to some tenant farmers, and then left to go to a different country. 34At harvest-time, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect the fruit that belonged to him. 35But the farmers attacked his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36So he sent more servants, but the farmers did the same things to them. 37So then he sent his son. ‘They will respect my son,’ he told himself. 38But the farmers, when they saw the son, said to each other, ‘Here's the heir! Come on! Let's kill him so we can take his inheritance!’ 39They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40When the vineyard owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?”
41The chief priests and elders said to Jesus, “He will put to death those wicked men in the most awful way, and rent out the vineyard to other farmers who will be sure to give him his fruit at harvest-time.”
42“So haven't you read this in the Scriptures?” Jesus asked them. “‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is wonderful in our eyes.’#21:42. Quoting Psalms 118:22-23 43That's why I'm telling you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to a people who produce the right kind of fruit. 44Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but it will completely crush anyone it falls upon.”
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they realized he was speaking about them. 46They wanted him arrested, but they were afraid of what the people would do because the people believed he was a prophet.
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Matthew 21: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Matthew 21
21
Jesus' last week: his trial and death
Jesus enters Jerusalem
(Mark 11.1-11; Luke 19.28-38; John 12.12-19)
1When Jesus and his disciples came near Jerusalem, he went to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and sent two of them on ahead. 2He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will at once find a donkey and her colt. Untie the two donkeys and bring them to me. 3If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord#21.3 The Lord: Or “the master of the donkeys”. needs them.’ Straight away he will let you have the donkeys.”
4So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said,
5“Announce to the people#Zec 9.9.
of Jerusalem:
‘Your king is coming to you!
He is humble
and rides on a donkey.
He comes on the colt
of a donkey.’ ”
6The disciples left and did what Jesus had told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and its colt and laid some clothes on their backs. Then Jesus got on.
8Many people spread clothes in the road, while others put down branches#21.8 spread clothes…put down branches: This was one-way that the Jewish people welcomed a famous person. which they had cut from trees. 9Some people walked ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They were all shouting,#Ps 118.25,26.
“Hooray#21.9 Hooray: This translates a word that can mean “please save us”. But it is most often used as a shout of praise to God. for the Son of David!#21.9 Son of David: See the note at 9.27.
God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hooray for God
in heaven above!”
10When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, “Who can this be?”
11The crowd answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus in the temple
(Mark 11.15-19; Luke 19.45-48; John 2.13-22)
12Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves. 13He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be called a place of worship.’ But you have turned it into a place where robbers hide.”#Is 56.7; Jr 7.11.
14Blind and lame people came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them. 15But the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were angry when they saw his miracles and heard the children shouting praises to the Son of David.#21.15 Son of David: See the note at 9.27. 16The men said to Jesus, “Don't you hear what those children are saying?”#Ps 8.2 (LXX).
“Yes, I do!” Jesus answered. “Don't you know that the Scriptures say, ‘Children and infants will sing praises’?” 17Then Jesus left the city and went out to the village of Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus puts a curse on a fig tree
(Mark 11.12-14,20-24)
18When Jesus got up the next morning, he was hungry. He started out for the city, 19and along the way he saw a fig tree. But when he came to it, he found only leaves and no figs. So he told the tree, “You will never again grow any fruit!” At once the fig tree dried up.
20The disciples were shocked when they saw how quickly the tree had dried up. 21But Jesus said to them, “If you have faith and don't doubt, I promise that you can do what I did to this tree. And you will be able to do even more. You can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will.#Mt 17.20; 1 Co 13.2. 22If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for.”
A question about Jesus' authority
(Mark 11.27-33; Luke 20.1-8)
23Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. 25Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”
They thought it over and said to each other, “We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John. 26On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That's why we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.” 27So they told Jesus, “We don't know.”
Jesus said, “Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”
A story about two sons
28Jesus said:
I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think. The father went to the elder son and said, “Go and work in the vineyard today!” 29His son told him that he would not do it, but later he changed his mind and went. 30The man then told his younger son to go and work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but he didn't go. 31Which one of the sons obeyed his father?
“The elder one,” the chief priests and leaders answered.
Then Jesus told them:
You can be sure that tax collectors#21.31 tax collectors: See the note at 5.46. and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you ever will! 32When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.#Lk 3.12; 7.29,30.
Tenants of a vineyard
(Mark 12.1-12; Luke 20.9-19)
33Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story:#Is 5.1,2.
A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he let his vineyard and left the country.
34When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes. 35But the tenants grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death. 36He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the tenants treated them in the same way.
37Finally, the owner sent his own son to the tenants, because he thought they would respect him. 38But when they saw the man's son, they said, “Some day he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves.” 39So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40Jesus asked, “When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those tenants?”
41The chief priests and leaders answered, “He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will let his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time.”
42Jesus replied, “Surely you know that the Scriptures say,#Ps 118.22,23.
‘The stone that the builders
tossed aside
is now the most important
stone of all.
This is something
the Lord has done,
and it is amazing to us.’
43I tell you that God's kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands. 44Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces.”#21.44 pieces: Verse 44 is not in some manuscripts.
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. 46So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012