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: RAD
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Matthew 21
21
The Triumphal Entry
1Now #Mark 11:1–10; Luke 19:29–38when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at #(Zech. 14:4)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
4All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
5“Tell#Is. 62:11; Zech. 9:9; John 12:15 the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6#Mark 11:4So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, #2 Kin. 9:13laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; #Lev. 23:40; John 12:13others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
#Ps. 118:26; Matt. 23:39‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!”
10#John 2:13, 15And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
11So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, #(Deut. 18:15, 18); Matt. 2:23; 16:14; Luke 4:16–29; John 6:14; 7:40; 9:17; (Acts 3:22, 23)the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12#Mal. 3:1; Mark 11:15–18; Luke 19:45–47; John 2:13–16Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the #Deut. 14:25money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13And He said to them, “It is written, #Is. 56:7‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a #Jer. 7:11‘den of thieves.’ ”
14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the #Matt. 1:1; John 7:42Son of David!” they were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
#Ps. 8:2; Matt. 11:25‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17Then He left them and #Matt. 26:6; Mark 11:1, 11, 12; 14:3; Luke 19:29; 24:50; John 11:1, 18; 12:1went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
The Fig Tree Withered
18#Mark 11:12–14, 20–24Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19#Mark 11:13And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree
20#Mark 11:20And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
21So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, #Matt. 17:20if you have faith and #James 1:6do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, #1 Cor. 13:2but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22And #Matt. 7:7–11; Mark 11:24; Luke 11:9; (John 15:7; James 5:16; 1 John 3:22; 5:14)whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus’ Authority Questioned
23#Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and #Ex. 2:14; Acts 4:7; 7:27said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
24But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25The #(John 1:29–34)baptism of #John 1:15–28John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we #Matt. 14:5; 21:46; Luke 20:6fear the multitude, #Matt. 14:5; Mark 6:20for all count John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”
And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my #Matt. 20:1; 21:33vineyard.’ 29He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, #Luke 7:29, 37–50“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32For #Luke 3:1–12; 7:29John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; #Luke 3:12, 13but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
33“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner #Ps. 80:9; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and #Matt. 25:14went into a far country. 34Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35#2 Chr. 24:21; 36:16; (Matt. 23:34, 37; Acts 7:52; 1 Thess. 2:15); Heb. 11:36, 37And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37Then last of all he sent his #(John 3:16)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, #(Ps. 2:8; Heb. 1:2)‘This is the heir. #(Ps. 2:2); John 11:53; Acts 4:27Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39#(Matt. 26:50); Mark 14:46; Luke 22:54; John 18:12; (Acts 2:23)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41#Luke 20:16They said to Him, #(Luke 21:24)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, #(Matt. 8:11; Acts 13:46; Rom. 9; 10)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
#Ps. 118:22, 23; Is. 28:16; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; (Rom. 9:33); Eph. 2:20; (1 Pet. 2:6, 7)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43“Therefore I say to you, #(Matt. 8:12); Acts 13:46the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44And #Is. 8:14, 15; Zech. 12:3; Luke 20:18; (Rom. 9:33); 1 Pet. 2:8whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, #(Is. 60:12; Dan. 2:44)it will grind him to powder.”
45Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they #Matt. 21:26; Mark 11:18, 32feared the multitudes, because #Matt. 21:11; Luke 7:16; John 7:40they took Him for a prophet.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.