1 As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent off two of his disciples
2 and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and right away as you enter it you will find a colt tied up, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it,' and he will send it here immediately."
4 They went off and found the colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and they untied it.
5 Some of the people standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"
6 They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the men let them go.
7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
8 Many spread out their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.
9 Those going ahead and those following kept shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David, in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and after looking around at everything, since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, he was hungry.
13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether he might find anything on it; but when he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 Jesus responded by saying to it, "May no one ever again eat fruit from you." And his disciples were listening.
15 They came to Jerusalem. Jesus went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling and buying in the temple, and he turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers;
16 and he would not let anyone carry anything through the temple.
17 Then he taught them, saying, "Is it not written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have turned it into a hideout for robbers."
18 The scribes and the chief priests heard it and began looking for a way to destroy him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 Whenever evening came, he would go out of the city.
20 Early in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up."
22 Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.
23 For truly I say to you, whoever tells this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not waver in his heart but believes that what he says is happening, it will be his, whatever he says.
24 For this reason I say to you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you receive it, and it will be yours.
25 And whenever you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your offenses.
26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your offenses."
27 They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking around in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came up to him
28 and said to him, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority to do these things?"
29 Jesus answered them, "I too will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30 John's baptism, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me."
31 They discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'
32 But if we say, 'From men'"; they were afraid of the people, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus answered them, "Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things."