Mat 21 | BSB | STEP | As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,

Matthew 21

The Triumphal Entry

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied [there] , with [her] colt beside her. Untie [them] [and] bring [them] to Me. 3 If anyone questions you, tell [him] that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, [the] foal of a donkey.’” ^{▼▼Zechariah 9:9} 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and [Jesus] sat on them. 8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks 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 were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” ^{▼▼Psalm 118:25} “Blessed is He who comes in [the] name of [the] Lord!” ^{▼▼Psalm 118:26} “Hosanna in the highest!” ^{▼▼Psalm 148:1} 10 When [Jesus] had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred [and] asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 Then Jesus entered the temple courts ^{▼▼BYZ temple of God} and drove out all who were buying and selling [there] . He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. 13 And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ ^{▼▼Isaiah 56:7} But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” ^{▼▼Jeremiah 7:11} 14 [The] blind and [the] lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. 15 But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” 16 “Do you hear what these [children] are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered, “have you never read: ‘From [the] mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?” ^{▼▼Psalm 8:2} 17 Then He left them [and] went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.

The Barren Fig Tree

18 In the morning, as [Jesus] was returning 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. “vvv May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw [this] , they marveled [and] asked, “How {did} the fig tree wither so quickly?” 21 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and {do} not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer.”

Jesus' Authority Challenged

23 When [Jesus] returned to the temple courts [and] began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?” 24 “vvv I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “ - {and} if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 What was the source of John’s baptism? [Was it] from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves [and] said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered, “We do not know.” And [Jesus] replied, “Neither {will} I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “But what [do] you think? [There was] a man who had two sons. He went to the first [one] [and] said, ‘Son, go [and] work today in the vineyard.’ 29 ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind ^{▼▼NE and WH do not include later he changed his mind} [and] went. 30 Then [the man] went to the second [son] [and] told [him] the same thing. ‘I [will] , sir,’ he said. But he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of [his] father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes [did] . And [even] after you saw this, you did not repent [and] believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

33 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to [some] tenants and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his [share of the] fruit. 35 But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed [another] , and stoned a third. 36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first [group] . But [the tenants] did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him [and] threw [him] out of the vineyard and killed [him] . 40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches {to a} wretched {end} ,” they declared, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him [his] share of the fruit at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “vvv Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘ [The] stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from [the] Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ^{▼▼Psalm 118:22,23} 43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ^{▼▼Tischendorf and some manuscripts do not include verse 44.} 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and Pharisees heard [Jesus’] parables, they knew He was speaking about them. 46 Although they wanted to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they considered [Jesus] a prophet.