Old/New Testament
Jesus rides into Jerusalem
21 When they came near to Jerusalem, and arrived at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead.
2 “Go into the village over there,” he said, “and at once you’ll find a donkey tied up, and a foal beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, say, ‘The master needs them, and he’ll send them back straight away.’ ”
He sent them off at once.
4 This happened so that the prophet’s words might be fulfilled:
5 Tell this to Zion’s daughter:
look now! Here comes your king;
he’s humble, mounted on an ass,
yes, on a foal, its young.
6 So the disciples went off and did as Jesus had told them. 7 They brought the donkey and its foal, and put their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8 The huge crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the road. 9 The crowds who went on ahead of him, and those who were following behind, shouted out,
Hosanna now to David’s Son!
God’s blessing on the coming one—
the one who comes in the Lord’s own name!
Hosanna in the highest!
10 When they came into Jerusalem, the whole city was gripped with excitement.
“Who is this?” they were saying.
11 “This is the prophet, Jesus,” replied the crowds, “from Nazareth in Galilee!”
The Temple and the fig tree
12 Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers.
13 “This is what the Bible says,” he said to them,
My house will be called a house of prayer—
but you have made it a brigands’ lair!”
14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the remarkable things he was doing, and the children shouting out “Hosanna to David’s son!” in the Temple, they were very cross.
16 “Do you hear what they’re saying?” they asked Jesus.
“Yes,” said Jesus. “Did you never read what it says,
You called forth praise to rise to you
from newborn babes and infants too!”
17 Then he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, where he stayed the night.
18 Early the next morning Jesus went back to the city. He was hungry. 19 He saw a single fig tree beside the road, but when he came up to it he found nothing on it except leaves.
“May you never bear fruit, ever again!” he said to it. Instantly the fig tree withered up.
20 The disciples saw it, and were astonished.
“Look how quickly the fig tree has withered up!” they said.
21 “I’m telling you the truth,” replied Jesus. “If you have faith, and don’t doubt, you will not only be able to do this to a fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 Whatever you ask in prayer, you’ll get it, if you believe.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.