New Testament in a Year

¹⁹ That evening as usual they left the city.

²⁰ Next morning, as the disciples passed the fig tree he had cursed, they saw that it was withered from the roots! ²¹ Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

^22-23 In reply Jesus said to the disciples, “If you only have faith in God—this is the absolute truth—you can say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! ²⁴ Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! ²⁵ But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.”

^26-28 [a]By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again, and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to him demanding, “What’s going on here? Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I’ll tell you if you answer one question! ³⁰ What about John the Baptist? Was he sent by God, or not? Answer me!”

³¹ They talked it over among themselves. “If we reply that God sent him, then he will say, ‘All right, why didn’t you accept him?’ ³² But if we say God didn’t send him, then the people will start a riot.” (For the people all believed strongly that John was a prophet.)

³³ So they said, “We can’t answer. We don’t know.”

To which Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either!”