M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Christ rides into Jerusalem. The fig tree dries up. The buyers and sellers are cast out of the temple. The Pharisees question Christ.

11 And when they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany beside the Mount of Olives, he sent forth two of his disciples ² and said to them, Go your ways into the town that is in front of you. And as soon as you have entered into it, you will find a colt tied, on which no man ever sat. Untie him and bring him here. ³ And if anyone asks you why you are doing this, say that the Lord has need of him, and straightaway he will send him here.

⁴ And they went their way and found a colt tied by the door outside, in a place where two roads met, and they untied him. ⁵ And some of the people standing there said to them, What are you doing, untying the colt? ⁶ And they answered just as Jesus had instructed, and the people let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on it, and he sat upon it. ⁸ And many spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches of the trees and strew them in the way. ⁹ And those who went before, and those who followed, cried out, saying, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed is the kingdom that comes in the name of him who is Lord of our father David: Hosanna in the highest!

¹¹ And the Lord entered into Jerusalem and into the temple. And when he had looked round about upon everything, and now that evening time was come, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

¹² And on the morrow, when they had left Bethany, he hungered. ¹³ And afar off he spotted a fig tree in leaf, and went to see whether he might find anything on it. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴ And Jesus spoke and said to it, Never may man eat fruit from you hereafter while the world stands. And his disciples heard it.

¹⁵ And they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out the sellers and buyers in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the stools of those who sold doves, ¹⁶ and would not suffer anyone to carry a vessel through the temple. ¹⁷ And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written: My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves! ¹⁸ And the scribes and high priests heard this, and sought how to destroy him. For they feared him, because all the people marvelled at his doctrine.

¹⁹ And when evening came, he went out of the city. ²⁰ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered away.

²² And Jesus answered and said to them, Have confidence in God. ²³ Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, Take yourself away and cast yourself into the sea, and who does not waver in his heart, but believes that those things which he says will come to pass – whatever he says will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you will have it, and it will be done for you. ²⁵ And when you stand and pray, forgive, if you have anything against any person, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

²⁷ And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he walked in the temple, there came to him the high priests and the scribes and the elders, ²⁸ and they said to him, By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority, to do these things? ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask of you a certain thing. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ The baptism of John: was it from heaven, or of men? Answer me.

³¹ They thought in themselves, saying, If we say from heaven, he will say, Why then did you not believe him? ³² But if we say of men, then we fear the people. (For everyone counted John to be a very prophet.) ³³ And they answered and said to Jesus, We don’t know. And Jesus answered and said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

All the Jews are not cast away. Therefore Paul warns the Gentiles who are called not to be high-minded or despise the Jews. For the judgments of God are deep and secret.

11 I say then, has God cast away his people? God forbid. For even I, of course, am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew. Or do you not know what the scripture says by the mouth of Elijah, how he makes intercession to God against Israel, saying, ³ Lord, they have killed your prophets and dug down your altars, and only I am left, and they seek my life? ⁴ But what is the answer of God to him in response? – I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal. ⁵ Likewise also, there is at this time a remnant left through the election of grace. ⁶ If it is by grace, then it is not by works, for then grace would not be grace any more. And if it is by works, then it is not grace any more, for then deserving would no longer be deserving.  

⁷ What then? Israel has not obtained what it sought. No, but yet the chosen ones have obtained it. The rest are blinded, ⁸ as it is written: God has given them the spirit of unquietness: eyes so that they cannot see, and ears so that they cannot hear, until this day. ⁹ And David says, Let their table be made a snare to take them with, and an occasion to fall, and a reward to them. ¹⁰ Let their eyes be blinded so that they do not see, and ever bow down their backs.

¹¹ I say then, have they therefore stumbled, only but to fall? God forbid. But through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to rally them at the same time. ¹² And so if their fall is the riches of the world, and their diminishment the riches of the Gentiles, how much greater the riches if they all believed? ¹³ I preach to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles. I will magnify my office, ¹⁴ so that I might rally those who are my flesh, and might save some of them. ¹⁵ For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what is the receiving of them but life again from death? ¹⁶ For if one piece is holy, the whole lump is holy. And if the root is holy, the branches are holy also.

¹⁷ Though some of the branches are broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, are grafted in among them and made partaker of the root and sap of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. For if you boast, remember that you do not bear the root, but the root bears you. ¹⁹ You will say then that the branches are broken off so that you may be grafted in. ²⁰ Well said: because of unbelief they are broken off, and you stand steadfast in faith. Be not high-minded, but fear, ²¹ seeing that God spared not the natural branches, lest perhaps he also not spare you.

²² Behold the kindness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but towards you, kindness – if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you will be hewn off. ²³ And they, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in again. For God is of power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of a natural, wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a true olive tree, how much more may the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree again?

²⁵ I would not that this mystery be hid from you my brethren (lest you be wise in your own estimations), that with respect to a part, blindness is upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in; ²⁶ and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: There will come out of Zion he who does deliver, and who will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. ²⁷ And: This is my covenant to them, when I take away their sins. ²⁸ Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but as for the chosen ones, these are loved for the fathers’ sakes. ²⁹ For indeed, the gifts and calling of God are such that he cannot change his mind about them.

³⁰ For look, just as you in time past did not believe God, and yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, ³¹ in the same way now they have not believed the mercy that has come to you so that they also may obtain mercy. ³² God has wrapped all nations in unbelief in order that he may have mercy on all.

³³ O the deepness of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out. ³⁴ For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? ³⁵ Or who has given to him first, that he should be recompensed? ³⁶ For from him, and through him, and for him, are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.