Matthew 21
21
The King Comes to Jerusalem
(Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:29–44; John 12:12–19)
1When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of him. 2He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. You will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them. That person will send them at once.”
4This happened so that what the prophet had said came true:
5“Tell the people of Zion,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He’s gentle,
riding on a donkey,
on a colt, a young pack animal.’ ”
6The disciples did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 8Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting,
“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 came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?”
11The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus Throws Out the Moneychangers
(Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48)
12Jesus went into the temple courtyard and threw out everyone who was buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. 13He told them, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you’re turning it into a gathering place for thieves!”
14Blind and lame people came to him in the temple courtyard, and he healed them.
15When the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings saw the amazing miracles he performed and the children shouting in the temple courtyard, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were irritated. 16They said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus replied, “Yes, I do. Have you never read, ‘From the mouths of little children and infants, you have created praise’?”
17He left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
(Mark 11:12–14, 20–25)
18In the morning, as Jesus returned to the city, he became hungry. 19When he saw a fig tree by the road, he went up to the tree and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, “May fruit never grow on you again!” At once the fig tree dried up.
20The disciples were surprised to see this. They asked, “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?”
21Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22Have faith that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
(Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8)
23Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”
24Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. 25Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?”
They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.
A Story about Two Sons
28“What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’
29“His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went.
30“The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go.
31“Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into God’s kingdom ahead of you. 32John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him.
A Story about a Vineyard
(Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19)
33“Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
34“When the grapes were getting ripe, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce. 35The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death. 36So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way.
37“Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’
38“When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39So they grabbed 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 workers?”
41They answered, “He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is ready.”
42Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
The Lord is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see’?
43That is why I can guarantee that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants. 44Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. If the stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person.” #21:44 Some manuscripts and translations omit this verse.
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they knew that he was talking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 21
21
1And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with it; loose them and lead them to me. 3And if any one say anything to you, ye shall say, The Lord has need of them, and straightway he will send them. 4But all this came to pass, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, 5Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 6But the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus had ordered them, 7brought the ass and the colt and put their garments upon them, and he sat on them. 8But a very great crowd strewed their own garments on the way, and others kept cutting down branches from the trees and strewing them on the way. 9And the crowds who went before him and who followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest. 10And as he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11And the crowds said, This is Jesus the prophet who is from Nazareth of Galilee.
12And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those that sold the doves. 13And he says to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of robbers. 14And blind and lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders which he wrought, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant, 16and said to him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus says to them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17And leaving them he went forth out of the city to Bethany, and there he passed the night.
18But early in the morning, as he came back into the city, he hungered. 19And seeing one fig-tree in the way, he came to it and found on it nothing but leaves only. And he says to it, Let there be never more fruit of thee for ever. And the fig-tree was immediately dried up. 20And when the disciples saw it, they wondered, saying, How immediately is the fig-tree dried up! 21And Jesus answering said to them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what is done to the fig-tree, but even if ye should say to this mountain, Be thou taken away and be thou cast into the sea, it shall come to pass. 22And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 24And Jesus answering said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him? 26but if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet. 27And answering Jesus they said, We do not know. He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28But what think ye? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go to-day, work in my vineyard. 29And he answering said, I will not; but afterwards repenting himself he went. 30And coming to the second he said likewise; and he answering said, I go, sir, and went not. 31Which of the two did the will of the father? They say to him, The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say unto you that the tax-gatherers and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but ye when ye saw it repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.
33Hear another parable: There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a fence round it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country. 34But when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his bondmen to the husbandmen to receive his fruits. 35And the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them in like manner. 37And at last he sent to them his son, saying, They will have respect for my son. 38But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance. 39And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen? 41They say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil men, and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes? 43Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. 44And he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. 45And the chief priests and the Pharisees, having heard his parables, knew that he spoke about them. 46And seeking to lay hold of him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they held him for a prophet.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.