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The Triumphal Entry

11 (A)And as they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and (B)Bethany, near (C)the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he [a]will send it back here.” And they went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. (D)And they *brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat on it. And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread leafy branches, having cut them from the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:

“Hosanna!
(E)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the [b]Lord;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna (F)in the highest!”

11 (G)And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, (H)He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

The Barren Fig Tree

12 (I)And on the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 And seeing at a distance a fig tree that had leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He answered and said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Jesus Drives Merchants from the Temple

15 (J)Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [c]doves; 16 and He was not permitting anyone to carry [d]merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘(K)My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? (L)But you have made it a robbers[e]den.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and (M)began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for (N)the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

19 (O)And when evening came, [f]they were going out of the city.

20 (P)And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “(Q)Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and *said to them, (R)Have faith in God. 23 (S)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says [g]is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 For this reason I say to you, (T)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. 25 And whenever you (U)stand praying, (V)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [h][(W)But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27 Then they *came again to Jerusalem. (X)And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet. 33 And answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Neither [i]will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 11:3 Lit sends
  2. Mark 11:9 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ps 118:26
  3. Mark 11:15 Lit the doves
  4. Mark 11:16 Lit a vessel
  5. Mark 11:17 Lit cave
  6. Mark 11:19 Jesus and His disciples
  7. Mark 11:23 Lit is happening
  8. Mark 11:26 Early mss omit this v
  9. Mark 11:33 Lit do I tell

Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King

11 Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. They came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of his followers. He said to them, “Go to the town you see there. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me. If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him, ‘The Master needs the colt. He will send it back soon.’”

The followers went into the town. They found a colt tied in the street near the door of a house, and they untied it. Some people were standing there and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” The followers answered the way Jesus told them to answer. And the people let them take the colt.

The followers brought the colt to Jesus. They put their coats on the colt, and Jesus sat on it. Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches in the fields and spread the branches on the road. Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Others were following him. All of them were shouting,

“Praise[a] God!
God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118:26
10 God bless the kingdom of our father David!
    That kingdom is coming!
Praise to God in heaven!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. When he had looked at everything, and since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12 apostles.

12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he was hungry. 13 He saw a fig tree in leaf. So he went to the tree to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves. It was not the right season for figs to grow. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” Jesus’ followers heard him say this.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

15 Jesus returned to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He began to throw out those who were buying and selling things there. He overturned the tables that belonged to the men who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of the men who were selling doves. 16 Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. 17 Then Jesus taught the people. He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be a house where people from all nations will pray.’[b] But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”[c]

18 The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard all this. They began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him because all the people were amazed at his teaching. 19 That night, Jesus and his followers[d] left the city.

The Power of Faith

20 The next morning, Jesus was passing by with his followers. They saw the fig tree, and it was dry and dead, even to the roots. 21 Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! Yesterday, you cursed the fig tree. Now it is dry and dead!”

22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth. You can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that the thing you say will happen, then God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to ask for things in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours. 25 When you are praying, and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, then forgive him. If you do this, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.” 26 [But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.][e]

Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority

27 Jesus and his followers went again to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in the Temple. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders came to him. 28 They said to him, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

29 Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. You answer it. Then I will tell you whose authority I use to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that from God or from man? Answer me!”

31 They argued about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From man,’ then the people will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people. All the people believed that John was a prophet.)

33 So the leaders answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you what authority I use to do these things.”

Footnotes

  1. 11:9 Praise Literally, “Hosanna,” a Hebrew word used at first in praying to God for help, but at this time it was probably a shout of joy used in praising God or his Messiah.
  2. 11:17 ‘My Temple . . . pray.’ Quotation from Isaiah 56:7.
  3. 11:17 ‘hideout for robbers.’ Quotation from Jeremiah 7:11.
  4. 11:19 his followers Some Greek copies mention only Jesus here.
  5. 11:26 But . . . sins. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany(C) at the Mount of Olives,(D) Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.(E) Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.(F) As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna![a]

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b](G)

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”(H)

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.(I)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts(J)(K)(L)

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.(M) 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]?(N) But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d](O)

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him,(P) because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.(Q)

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city.(R)

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi,(S) look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.(T) 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.(U) 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”(V) [26] [g]

The Authority of Jesus Questioned(W)

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)(X)

33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 11:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 10
  2. Mark 11:9 Psalm 118:25,26
  3. Mark 11:17 Isaiah 56:7
  4. Mark 11:17 Jer. 7:11
  5. Mark 11:19 Some early manuscripts came, Jesus
  6. Mark 11:23 Some early manuscripts “If you have faith in God,” Jesus answered, 23 “truly
  7. Mark 11:26 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 6:15.