1Now when they were approaching Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives,
2Jesus sent two of his disciples and told them. "Go to that village in front of you, and immediately on entering it you will find a colt tied, upon which no man has ever sat; untie him and bring him here.
3And if any man asks you, ‘Why are you doing that?" answer, ‘The Lord has need of him, and he will immediately send him back.’"
4So they went and found a colt tied outside a door, in the open street, and untied it.
5And some of the bystanders began to say to them, "What are you trying to do, untying that colt?"
6So they answered them just as Jesus had told them, and they let them take it.
7Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and when they had thrown cloaks upon it, Jesus seated himself on it.
8Then many spread their cloaks on the road, and others, soft leafy branches, which they had cut from the fields;
9and those who went before him and those who came after kept shouting. "Hosanna! Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed be the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna, in the highest!"
11Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple, and after he had looked around at everything, as the hour was now late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.¶
12The next day after leaving Bethany he was hungry,
13and seeing a fig tree in the distance full of leaves, he came to see if he could find anything on it, and found on it nothing but leaves (for it was not the time of figs).
14So, addressing the tree, he said, "Let no man ever more eat fruit from you." And the disciples heard it.
15Presently they reached Jerusalem, and, after entering the Temple courts, Jesus began to drive out those who were buying and selling there, and to upset the tables of the money-changers, and the stalls of those who sold doves,
16and he would not allow any one to carry a vessel through the Temple courts, Then he began to teach.
17"Is it not written," he said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers."
18The chief priests and the Scribes heard this, and they began to seek means of destroying him; for they were afraid of him because all the crowd were greatly struck with his teaching.
19Now every evening he used to go outside the city;
20and as they (he and his disciples) were passing along in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered from the root.
21Then Peter remembered, and exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, the fig tree which you cursed is withered up."
22"Take hold on God’s faithfulness," said Jesus to them in reply.
23"In solemn truth I tell you that if any one shall say to this mountain, ‘Up and hurl yourself into the sea!’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but on the contrary shall believe that what he says will happen, it will be granted him.
24That is why I am telling you that whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours.
25And whenever you stand up to pray, forgive, if you have anything against any one, that so your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
26
27Once more they came into Jerusalem; and as he was walking in the Temple courts, there came to him the high priests and Scribes and elders and asked him.
28"By what authority do you do these things? or who gave you this authority to do these things?"
29"And I will put one question to you," replied Jesus. "Answer this, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me!"
31Then they began arguing with one another. "If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?"
32On the other hand, if we say, ‘From men’!"They were afraid, however, of the people, for every one held that Johnhad been really a prophet.
33So their answer to Jesus was, "We do not know." "Neither will I tell you," said Jesus, "by what authority I do these things."¶