Mark 11

¹When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him and bring him.³If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs him;’ and immediately he will send him back here.”

⁴They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him. ⁵Some of those who stood there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the young donkey?” ⁶They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go.

⁷They brought the young donkey to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it. ⁸Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹Those who went in front and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!¹⁰Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

¹²The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it.

¹⁵They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. ¹⁶He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. ¹⁷He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will 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 it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.

¹⁹When evening came, he went out of the city. ²⁰As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. ²¹Peter, remembering, said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.”

²²Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.²³For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says.²⁴Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.²⁵Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.²⁶But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

²⁷They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him, ²⁸and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

²⁹Jesus 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 men? Answer me.”

³¹They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³²If we should say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. ³³They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”