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Matthew 21
The Voice
Matthew 21
The Voice
After a great parade, Jesus and His disciples walk into the temple area, and what He sees enrages Him. He sees moneychangers, buying and selling. He sees men sitting on benches, hawking doves to those who have come from the countryside to make a sacrifice. He sees that the salesmen and teachers have turned a sanctuary of worship into a place of spiritual prostitution. This is the place where Jesus came as a boy to sit with the great teachers. It is the place where His Father receives the offerings of His people. It is more than Jesus can take.
Can anyone be surprised at this other side to Jesus? He has turned out to be not just a kindly teacher; instead, He is the Anointed One, not to be taken lightly. In the midst of this scene filled with joy and chaos, there are extremes. Some are beginning to understand who this man from Galilee is—the Anointed—but the rulers are having great difficulty with the disruption to their orderly world.
21 Jesus, the disciples, and the great crowds were heading toward Jerusalem when they came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus stopped and beckoned to two of the disciples.
Jesus: 2 Go to the village over there. There you’ll find a donkey tied to a post and a foal beside it. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone tries to stop you, then tell him, “The Master needs these,” and he will send the donkey and foal immediately.
4 He sent the disciples on ahead so His entry into Jerusalem could fulfill what the prophet Zechariah had long since foretold:
5 Tell this to Zion’s daughter,
“Look—your King is approaching,
seated humbly on a donkey,
a young foal, a beast of burden.”[a]
6 So the disciples went off and followed Jesus’ instructions. 7 They brought the donkey and foal to Jesus, they spread their cloaks on the animals, and Jesus sat down on them. 8 The great crowd followed suit, laying their cloaks on the road. Others cut leafy branches from the trees and scattered those before Jesus. 9 And the crowds went before Jesus, walked alongside Him, and processed behind—all singing.
Crowd: Hosanna, praises to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Eternal One! Hosanna in the highest![b]
The way Jesus enters the city on a lowly donkey, with crowds surrounding Him singing praises, surprises many within Jerusalem.
10 And that is how Jesus came into Jerusalem. The people noticed this strange parade. They wondered who this could be, this humble bearded man on a donkey who incited such songs.
Crowd: 11 This is Jesus, the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.
12 Jesus came to the temple. He drove out all those who were buying and selling. He upended the moneychangers’ tables and the dove-sellers’ benches.
Jesus: 13 It is written, “My house will be a house of prayer for all people,” but you have turned this house of prayer into a den of robbers.[c]
14 Then the blind and the lame came to the temple, and Jesus healed them. 15 Rings of children circled round and sang, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” But the priests and scribes didn’t understand. When they saw the upturned tables, the walking paralytics, and the singing children, they were shocked, indignant, and angry, and they did not understand.
Priests and Scribes: 16 Do you hear what these children are saying?
Jesus: Yes. Haven’t you read your own psalter? “From the mouths and souls of infants and toddlers, the most innocent, You have decreed praises for Yourself.”[d]
17 At that, Jesus left Jerusalem. He went to Bethany, where He spent the night.
18 The next morning, Jesus went back to the city. It was early and He was wanting breakfast, so 19 He stopped at a lone fig tree by the road. The fig tree, disappointingly, had no figs, only leaves.
Jesus: May you never bear fruit again!
Immediately the tree shriveled up. 20 The disciples were amazed.
Disciples: How did that fig tree wither so quickly?
Jesus: 21 I tell you this: if you have faith and do not doubt, then you will be able to wither a fig tree with one glance. You will be able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the ocean, and they will obey.
As Jesus says this, one or two disciples probably glance around the shadows of the early morning, confused and afraid. Jesus has just paraded into Jerusalem and upset the vendors and leaders with His bold talk. Now He is challenging His disciples to expect the physical creation to respond to their commands and faith. But Jesus isn’t finished.
Jesus: 22 If you believe, whatever you ask for in prayer will be granted.
23 Jesus returned to the temple and began to teach. The chief priests and elders came to Him and wanted to know who had given Him permission to disturb the temple precincts and to teach His crazy notions in this most sacred of spots.
Chief Priests and Elders: Who gave You the authority to do these things?
Jesus: 24 I will answer your question if first you answer one of Mine: 25 You saw John ritually cleansing people through baptism[e] for the redemption of their sins. Did John’s cleansing come from heaven, or was he simply washing people of his own whim?
The elders knew that this question was tricky; there was no simple answer. If they acknowledged that John’s ritual cleansing was from heaven, Jesus would ask why they had not accepted John’s authority. 26 But if they said he had dipped people simply by his own accord, they would outrage the people who believed John was a prophet.
Chief Priests and Elders: 27 We don’t know.
Jesus: Then neither will I tell you about the authority under which I am working. 28 But I will tell you a story, and you can tell Me what you make of it: There was a man who had two sons. He said to his first son,
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
First Son: 29 No, I will not.
But later the first son changed his mind and went. 30 Then the father went to his second son.
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
Second Son: Of course, Father.
But then he did not go. 31 So which of the sons did what the father wanted?
Chief Priests and Elders (answering at once): The first.
Jesus: I tell you this: the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 John came to show you the straight path, the path to righteousness. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even as you saw the prostitutes and the tax collectors forgiven and washed clean, finding their footing on the straight path to righteousness, still you did not change your ways and believe.
33 Here is another story: A landowner planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, fitted it with a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard and left town. 34 When harvesttime came, the landowner sent his servants to collect rent—in the form of grapes—from his tenants. 35 The tenants attacked these rent-collecting servants. They killed one, stoned another, and beat a third. 36 The dismayed landowner sent another band of servants to try to collect his due, a larger group of servants this time, but the tenants did the same thing—capturing, beating, killing. 37 Finally the landowner sent his son to the tenants, thinking, “They will at least respect my son.” 38 But the tenants knew the son was the best way to get to the landowner, so when they saw the son approaching they said,
Tenants: This is the landowner’s heir apparent! Let’s kill him and take his inheritance.
39 And so they did; they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 What do you think the landowner will do when he comes and sees those tenants?
Chief Priests and Elders: 41 He will eviscerate them, to be sure! Then he will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will pay him at harvesttime.
Jesus: 42 I wonder if any of you has ever opened your own psalter:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very stone that holds together the entire foundation.
This is the work of the Eternal One,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.[f]
43 Therefore, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who will tend its sweet fruit and who will give the Creator His due. [44 He who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces, and he on whom the stone falls will be crushed.][g]
Jesus has just confronted the spiritual leaders of the land with hard reality. They have two choices: they can believe Him and repent, or they can disbelieve Him and call His stories rabble-rousing and craziness. In their minds, the cost of believing is just too high. Everything they have—their positions and standings in the community, their worldviews, their own images of themselves—is at stake. But they can’t openly condemn this popular teacher of the people.
45 And so the chief priests and the Pharisees, the teachers and the elders, knew that when Jesus told these stories He was speaking about them. 46 Not believing, they looked for a way to arrest Him—a stealthy way, though. They were afraid to make too bold a move against Him because all the people believed He was a prophet.
Footnotes
- 21:5 Zechariah 9:9
- 21:9 Psalm 118:26
- 21:13 Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11
- 21:16 Psalm 8:2
- 21:25 Literally, immersing, an act of repentance
- 21:42 Psalm 118:22–23
- 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44.
Matthew 21
New International Version
Matthew 21
New International Version
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(C) Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill(D) what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a](E)
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks(F) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(J) from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple(K)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying(L) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers(M) and the benches of those selling doves.(N) 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e](O) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”(P)
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.(Q) 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,”(R) they were indignant.(S)
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,(U) where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(V)
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.(W)
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,(X) 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(Y) in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned(Z)
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(AA) 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.”(AB)
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.’(AC)
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(AD) and the prostitutes(AE) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,(AF) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors(AG) and the prostitutes(AH) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent(AI) and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants(AJ)
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(AK) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(AL) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(AM) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(AN) to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(AO) 36 Then he sent other servants(AP) 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.(AQ) Come, let’s kill him(AR) and take his inheritance.’(AS) 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,”(AT) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(AU) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[h]?(AV)
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you(AW) 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.”[i](AX)
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.(AY)
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
- Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
- Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
- Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
馬太福音 21
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
馬太福音 21
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
榮入聖城(A)
21 耶穌和門徒快到耶路撒冷，進了橄欖山的伯法其時，打發兩個門徒， 2 對他們說：「你們往對面村子裏去，會立刻看見一匹驢拴在那裏，還有驢駒同在一處，解開牠們，牽到我這裏來。 3 若有人對你們說甚麼，你們就說：『主要用牠們。』那人會立刻讓你們牽來。」 4 這事發生是要應驗先知所說的話：
5 「要對錫安的兒女[a]說：
看哪，你的王來到你這裏，
謙和地騎着驢，
騎着小驢—驢的駒子。」
6 門徒就照耶穌所吩咐的去做， 7 牽了驢和驢駒來，把他們的衣服搭在上面，耶穌就騎上。 8 許許多多的人把自己的衣服鋪在路上，還有人砍下樹枝來鋪在路上。 9 前呼後擁的人羣喊着說：
「和散那[b]歸於大衛之子！
奉主名來的是應當稱頌的！
至高無上的，和散那！」
10 耶穌進了耶路撒冷，全城都驚動了，說：「這是誰？」 11 眾人說：「這是從加利利的拿撒勒來的先知耶穌。」
潔淨聖殿(B)
12 耶穌進了聖殿[c]，趕出聖殿裏所有在做買賣的人，推倒兌換銀錢之人的桌子和賣鴿子之人的凳子， 13 對他們說：「經上記着：
『我的殿要稱為禱告的殿，
你們倒使它成為賊窩了。』」
14 在聖殿裏有盲人和瘸子到耶穌跟前，他就治好了他們。 15 祭司長和文士看見耶穌所行的奇事，又見小孩子在聖殿裏喊着說：「和散那歸於大衛之子！」就很生氣， 16 對他說：「這些人所喊的，你聽到了嗎？」耶穌對他們說：「聽到了。經上說：『你藉孩童和吃奶的口發出完全的讚美』，你們沒有念過嗎？」 17 於是他離開他們，出城到伯大尼去，在那裏過夜。
詛咒無花果樹(C)
18 早晨回城的時候，他餓了， 19 看見路旁有一棵無花果樹，就走到跟前，在樹上找不到甚麼，只有葉子，就對樹說：「從今以後，你永不結果子！」那無花果樹立刻枯乾了。 20 門徒看見了，驚訝地說：「無花果樹怎麼立刻枯乾了呢？」 21 耶穌回答他們：「我實在告訴你們，你們若有信心，不疑惑，不但能行我對無花果樹所行的事，就是對這座山說：『離開此地，投在海裏！』也會實現。 22 你們禱告，無論求甚麼，只要信，就必得着。」
耶穌的權柄受到質問(D)
23 耶穌進了聖殿，正教導人的時候，祭司長和百姓的長老來問他：「你仗着甚麼權柄做這些事？給你這權柄的是誰呢？」 24 耶穌回答他們說：「我也要問你們一句話，你們若告訴我，我就告訴你們我仗着甚麼權柄做這些事。 25 約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是從天上來的，還是從人間來的呢？」他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來的』，他會對我們說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』 26 若說『從人間來的』，我們又怕眾人，因為大家都認為約翰是先知。」 27 於是他們回答耶穌：「我們不知道。」耶穌也對他們說：「我也不告訴你們，我仗着甚麼權柄做這些事。」
兩個兒子的比喻
28 「有一件事，你們的意見如何？一個人有兩個兒子。他來對大兒子說：『孩子，今天到葡萄園裏做工去。』 29 他回答：『我不去』，以後自己懊悔，就去了。 30 他來對小兒子也是這樣說。他回答：『父親大人，我去』，卻不去。 31 這兩個兒子是哪一個照着父親的意願做了呢？」他們說：「大兒子。」耶穌說：「我實在告訴你們，稅吏和娼妓倒比你們先進 神的國。 32 因為約翰到你們這裏來指引你們走義路，你們卻不信他，稅吏和娼妓倒信了他。你們看見了以後，還是不悔悟去信他。」
惡園戶的比喻(E)
33 「你們再聽一個比喻：有一個家的主人開墾了一個葡萄園，四周圍上籬笆，裏面挖了一個醡酒池，蓋了一座守望樓，租給園戶，就出外遠行去了。 34 收果子的時候快到了，他打發僕人到園戶那裏去收果子。 35 園戶拿住僕人，打了一個，殺了一個，用石頭打死了一個。 36 主人又打發別的僕人去，比先前更多；園戶還是照樣對待他們。 37 最後他打發自己的兒子到他們那裏去，說：『他們會尊敬我的兒子。』 38 可是，園戶看見他兒子，彼此說：『這是承受產業的。來，我們殺了他，佔他的產業！』 39 於是他們拿住他，把他扔出葡萄園外，殺了。 40 葡萄園的主人來的時候，要怎樣處置那些園戶呢？」 41 他們說：「要狠狠地除滅那些惡人，將葡萄園轉租給那些按時候交果子的園戶。」 42 耶穌對他們說：
「『匠人所丟棄的石頭
已作了房角的頭塊石頭。
這是主所做的，
在我們眼中看為奇妙。』
這段經文你們從來沒有念過嗎？ 43 所以我告訴你們， 神的國必從你們奪去，賜給那能結果子的民。 44 誰跌在這石頭上，一定會跌得粉碎；這石頭掉在誰的身上，就要把誰壓得稀爛。[d]」
45 祭司長和法利賽人聽見他的比喻，就看出他是指着他們說的。 46 他們想要捉拿他，但是懼怕眾人，因為眾人認為他是先知。
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition (RCU17TS)
和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.