Mark 11

The Entry into Jerusalem

1And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6And they spoke to them just as Jesus had said, and they allowed them to go.

7And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and he sat on it. 8And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut from the fields. 9And those who went before and those who followed were crying out,

“Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest!” 11And he entered Jerusalem, into the temple; and having looked around at everything, since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

The Fig Tree Cursed

12And on the next day, when they had gone out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, he went to see whether he might find anything on it. And coming to it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And answering, he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

15And they came to Jerusalem. And entering the temple, he began to cast out those selling and those buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the temple. 17And he was teaching and saying to them, “Is it not written,

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?

But you have made it a den of robbers.”

18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking how they might destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19And when evening came, they went out of the city.

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

20And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22And answering, Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says happens, it will be for him. 24Therefore I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

27And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28and they were saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?” 29And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from human beings? Answer me.”

31And they were reasoning with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘From human beings’?” They feared the crowd, for all held that John really was a prophet. 33And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”