Jesus Hailed as Messiah

Now as they approached Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany, by the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples out. He told them, “Go into the village opposite you. As soon as you enter it, you’ll find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has sat. Release it and lead it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Say, ‘The Lord needs it,’ and he’ll send it here right away.”

So they left, and found the colt tied to a door, outside on the street, and they untied it. Some people standing there asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” And they answered them as Jesus had instructed, and the people let them go.

So they led the colt to Jesus. Then they draped their robes over it and He sat on it. And many people spread their garments over the road [that leads into Jerusalem], while others were cutting [palm] branches off the trees, and scattering them on the road. And there were people going ahead, and others following, who shouted out, “Hosanna! Save, Lord!”

“Blessed is He who comes to us in the Name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the kingdom that comes to us in the Name of the Lord. The kingdom of our father, David!”

“Hosanna! Save, Lord, in the highest heaven!”

So Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. The hour was already late, so after He had looked around at everything, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Religious Commercialism

The next morning, as they set out from Bethany, He was very hungry. And seeing a fig tree with green leaves in the distance, He went to see if He might find some fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, since it was not the season for figs. Then Jesus spoke to the tree, saying, “May no one eat fruit from you again, forever!” And His disciples heard this.

They came to Jerusalem, and going into the temple, Jesus started driving out the people who were buying and selling in the temple. He pushed the moneychangers’ tables over, and the chairs of those who sold doves. And He wouldn’t allow anyone carrying common bundles to walk through the temple area.

When He taught them, He said, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have turned it into a den of robbers!”

Now the Scribes and leading priests heard this, and they looked for some way to destroy Him. They were afraid of Him, because all the people were awed by His teaching. And when evening came, He left the city.

Now in the morning, walking along, they saw that the fig tree had dried up from the roots. Then Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered up!”

Jesus answered, saying to the disciples, “Have faith in God. For I tell you the truth, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be snatched up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart that what he says will happen, it will be granted to him, whatever he says.

“For this reason I tell you, everything, whatever you ask in prayer, trust that you have received it, and it will be given to you. In the same way, when you are praying, forgive — if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you of your own sins. But if you won’t forgive others, then neither will your heavenly Father forgive the wrongs you have done.”

So they returned to Jerusalem. As He was walking through the temple, the ruling priests and Scribes and the elders came up to Him. And they asked Him, “By what authority have you done these things? And who gave you permission to do such things?”

But Jesus answered them by saying, “I’ll also ask you one question. You answer Me, and then I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things.

“John’s baptizing, was it from heaven or from man? Answer Me!”

They pondered this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ then He’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from man...’” Now they were afraid of the people, because everyone believed that John was a true prophet.

So they responded to Jesus with, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus answered them, saying, “Neither will I tell you the authority by which I do these things.”

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