Matthew 21
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 courts and 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 infants
You 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 a righteous way 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 rejected
has 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.