Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”21:5 Zech. 9:9
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15 to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
“Hosanna21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15 in the highest heaven!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple
12Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13“It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’21:13 Isaiah 56:7 but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’21:13 Jer. 7:11”
14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“ ‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)?”
17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
The Parable of the 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 watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“ ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’21:42 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. 44Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
光榮進聖城
1耶穌和門徒將近耶路撒冷，來到橄欖山的伯法其。耶穌派了兩個門徒， 2並囑咐說：「你們到前面的村莊去，就會看見一頭母驢拴在那裡，旁邊還有一頭驢駒。你們把牠們解開，牽到我這裡。 3要是有人問起，你們就說，『主要用牠們』，那人會立刻讓你們牽來。」 4這件事發生是要應驗先知的話：
5「要對少女錫安說，『看啊，你的君王來了！祂謙卑地騎著驢，騎著一頭驢駒。』21·5 撒迦利亞書9·9。」
6兩個門徒照著耶穌的吩咐去了， 7把母驢和驢駒帶了回來。他們把衣服搭在驢背上，讓耶穌騎上去。 8許多人把衣服鋪在路上，還有些人砍下樹枝鋪在路上。 9眾人前呼後擁，高喊道：
「和散那21·9 「和散那」原意是「拯救我們」，此處有「讚美」的意思。歸於大衛的後裔！」
「奉主名來的當受稱頌！」21·9 詩篇118·26。
「和散那歸於至高之處的上帝！」
10耶穌進耶路撒冷時，全城轟動，說：「這是誰？」
11眾人說：「祂是先知耶穌，來自加利利的拿撒勒。」
潔淨聖殿
12耶穌進入聖殿，趕走裡面所有做買賣的人，推翻兌換錢幣之人的桌子和賣鴿子之人的凳子。
13耶穌斥責他們說：「聖經上說，『我的殿必稱為禱告的殿。』21·13 以賽亞書56·7。你們竟把它變成了賊窩。21·13 耶利米書7·11。」
14殿中瞎眼的和瘸腿的都來到耶穌面前，祂便治好了他們。 15祭司長和律法教師看見祂所行的奇事，又聽見小孩子在聖殿裡高聲喊著：「和散那歸於大衛的後裔！」便十分惱怒。 16他們責問耶穌說：「你聽見這些人說的了嗎？」21·16 詩篇8·2。
耶穌說：「我聽見了。聖經上說，『你使孩童和嬰兒口中發出頌讚』，你們從未讀過嗎？」 17然後，祂便離開他們，出城前往伯大尼，在那裡住宿。
咒詛無花果樹
18清早，耶穌在回城的路上餓了。 19祂看見路旁有一棵無花果樹，便走過去，卻發現除了葉子外什麼也沒有。
祂對那棵樹說：「你永遠不會再結果子！」那棵樹立刻枯萎了。
20門徒見了就驚奇地問：「這棵樹怎麼一下子枯萎了？」
21耶穌回答說：「我實在告訴你們，你們如果有信心、不懷疑，不但能使無花果樹枯萎，就算對這座山說，『從這裡挪開，投進大海裡！』也照樣可以實現。 22所以，只要相信，你們無論禱告求什麼，都必得到。」
質問耶穌的權柄
23耶穌進了聖殿，正在教導人的時候，祭司長和百姓的長老上前質問祂：「你憑什麼權柄做這些事？誰授權給你了？」
24耶穌說：「我也要問你們一個問題，你們回答了，我就告訴你們我憑什麼權柄做這些事。 25約翰的洗禮是從哪裡來的？從天上來的，還是從人間來的？」
他們便彼此議論說：「如果我們說『是從天上來的』，祂一定會問我們，『那你們為什麼不信他？』 26但如果我們說『是從人間來的』，又怕觸怒百姓，因為他們都相信約翰是先知。」 27於是，他們回答耶穌說：「我們不知道。」
耶穌說：「我也不告訴你們我憑什麼權柄做這些事。」
兩個兒子的比喻
28耶穌又說：「你們怎樣看這件事？某人有兩個兒子。他對大兒子說，『孩子，你今天到葡萄園工作吧！』
29「大兒子回答說，『我不去！』但後來他改變了主意，就去了。
30「那父親又去對小兒子說同樣的話。小兒子回答說，『好的，父親』，卻沒有去。
31「這兩個兒子到底哪一個服從父親呢？」
他們回答道：「大兒子。」
耶穌說：「我實在告訴你們，稅吏和娼妓要比你們先進上帝的國。 32因為約翰來指示你們當行的正路，你們不信他，但稅吏和娼妓信了。你們親眼看見了這些事，竟然還是執迷不悟，不肯信他。
惡毒的佃戶
33「你們再聽一個比喻。有個園主開墾了一個葡萄園，在園子的四周圍上籬笆，又在園中挖了一個榨酒池，建了一座瞭望臺，然後把葡萄園租給佃戶，就出遠門了。 34到了收穫的季節，園主派奴僕去佃戶那裡收取他的那份果實。 35佃戶卻抓住他的奴僕，打傷一個，殺死一個，又用石頭打死了一個。 36於是，園主又派去更多奴僕，結果也遭到同樣的對待。 37最後，園主派了自己的兒子去，心想，『他們肯定會尊重我的兒子。』 38可是那些佃戶看見園主的兒子，就彼此商量說，『這是產業繼承人。來吧！我們殺掉他，佔了他的產業！』 39於是，他們抓住他，把他扔到葡萄園外殺了。 40那麼，當園主回來的時候，他會怎樣處置那些佃戶呢？」
41他們說：「他會毫不留情地除掉那些惡人，然後把葡萄園租給其他按時交果子的佃戶。」
42耶穌說：
「『工匠丟棄的石頭已成了房角石。
這是主的作為，在我們看來奇妙莫測。』21·42 詩篇118·22、23。
你們從未讀過這段經文嗎？ 43所以，我告訴你們，上帝將把祂的國從你們那裡奪去，賜給結果子的人。 44凡跌在這石頭上的人，都會粉身碎骨；這石頭落在誰身上，會把誰砸爛。」
45祭司長和法利賽人聽了耶穌的比喻，明白祂是針對他們講的。 46他們試圖逮捕耶穌，但又害怕百姓，因為百姓都認為耶穌是先知。
