Mark 11

¹ When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, hesent two of his disciples

² and said to them, 'Go to the vil age facing you, and as you enter it you wil at once find a tethered coltthat no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

³ If anyone says to you, "What are you doing?" say, "The Master needs it and wil send it back here at once." '

⁴ They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it,

⁵ some men standing there said, 'What are you doing, untying that colt?'

⁶ They gave the answer Jesus had told them, and the men let them go.

⁷ Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he mounted it.

⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others greenery which they had cut in the fields.

⁹ And those who went in front and those who fol owed were al shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who iscoming in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of David our father! Hosanna in the highest heavens!'

¹¹ He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple; and when he had surveyed it al , as it was late bynow, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

¹² Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry.

¹³ Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but whenhe came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴ And he addressed the fig tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard himsay this.

¹⁵ So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out the men selling andbuying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sel ers.

¹⁶ Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple.

¹⁷ And he taught them and said, 'Does not scripture say: My house wil be cal ed a house of prayer for al peoples? But you have turned it into a bandits' den.'

¹⁸ This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doingaway with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching.

¹⁹ And when evening came he went out of the city.

²⁰ Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered to the roots.

²¹ Peter remembered. 'Look, Rabbi,' he said to Jesus, 'the fig tree that you cursed has withered away.'

²² Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God.

²³ In truth I tel you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be pul ed up and thrown into the sea," with nodoubt in his heart, but believing that what he says wil happen, it will be done for him.

²⁴ I tel you, therefore, everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it wil beyours.

²⁵ And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, soyour Father in heavenmay forgive your failings too.'

²⁶

²⁷ They came to Jerusalem again, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and thescribes and the elders came to him,

²⁸ and they said to him, 'What authority have you for acting like this? Or who gave you authority to actlike this?'

²⁹ Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; answer me and I wil tel you my authorityfor acting like this.

³⁰ John's baptism, what was its origin, heavenly or human? Answer me that.'

³¹ And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, he wil say, "Then why did yourefuse to believe him?"

³² But dare we say human?' -- they had the people to fear, for everyone held that John had been a realprophet.

³³ So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And Jesus said to them, 'Nor will I tell you my authorityfor acting like this.'