⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree^(A)

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.^(B)

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,^(C) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for^(D) in prayer.”

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts^(A)(B)(C)

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.^{(D) 14} Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.^{(A) 7} So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!^(B) Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus at the Temple^(A)

¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying^(B) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers^(C) and the benches of those selling doves.^{(D) 13} “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[a](E) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”^(F)

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.^{(G) 15} But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”^(H) they were indignant.^(I)

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,^(K) where he spent the night.

¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[a](A) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”^(B)

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.^{(C) 15} But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”^(D) they were indignant.^(E)

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,^(G) where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree^(H)

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.^(I)

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,^(J) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for^(K) in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(L)

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority^(M) are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”^(N)

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

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

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’^(O)

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors^(P) and the prostitutes^(Q) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,^(R) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors^(S) and the prostitutes^(T) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent^(U) and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants^(V)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted^(W) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.^(X) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.^{(Y) 34} When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(Z) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^{(AA) 36} Then he sent other servants^(AB) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.^(AC) Come, let’s kill him^(AD) and take his inheritance.’^{(AE) 39} So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”^(AF) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(AG) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you^(AI) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^[e](AJ)

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.^(AK)

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet^(AL)

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like^(AM) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants^(AN) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants^(AO) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers^(AP) and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners^(AQ) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,^(AR) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend^(AS)?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^(AT)

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”^(AU)

Prayer^(A)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing^(B) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,^(C) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling^(D) like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.^{(E) 8} Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need^(F) before you ask him.

Ask, Seek, Knock^(A)

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you;^(B) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;^(C) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts^(D) to those who ask him!

⁷ If you remain in me^(A) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.^{(B) 8} This is to my Father’s glory,^(C) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.^(D)