Now when they were getting near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he dispatched two of his disciples and told them: “Go into the village that is within sight of YOU, and as soon as YOU pass into it YOU will find a colt tied, on which none of mankind has yet sat; loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to YOU, ‘Why are YOU doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it, and will at once send it off back here.’” So they went away and found the colt tied at the door, outside on the side street, and they loosed it. But some of those standing there began to say to them: “What are YOU doing loosing the colt?” They said to these just as Jesus had said; and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and they put their outer garments upon it, and he sat on it. Also, many spread their outer garments on the road, but others cut down foliage from the fields. And those going in front and those coming behind kept crying out: “Save, we pray! Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah’s name! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Save, we pray, in the heights above!” And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and he looked around upon all things, and, as the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he became hungry. And from a distance he caught sight of a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see whether he would perhaps find something on it. But, on coming to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season of figs. So, in response, he said to it: “Let no one eat fruit from you anymore forever.” And his disciples were listening. Now they came to Jerusalem. There he entered into the temple and started to throw out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves; and he would not let anyone carry a utensil through the temple, but he kept teaching and saying: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But YOU have made it a cave of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they began to seek how to destroy him; for they were in fear of him, for all the crowd was continually being astounded at his teaching. And when it became late in the day, they would go out of the city. But when they were passing by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered up from the roots. So Peter, remembering it, said to him: “Rabbi, see! the fig tree that you cursed has withered up.” And in reply Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. Truly I say to YOU that whoever tells this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but has faith that what he says is going to occur, he will have it so. This is why I tell YOU, All the things YOU pray and ask for have faith that YOU have practically received, and YOU will have them. And when YOU stand praying, forgive whatever YOU have against anyone; in order that YOUR Father who is in the heavens may also forgive YOU YOUR trespasses.” “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses.” And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the older men came to him and began to say to him: “By what authority do you do these things? or who gave you this authority to do these things?” Jesus said to them: “I will ask YOU one question. YOU answer me, and I will also tell YOU by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism by John from heaven or from men? Answer me.” So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why is it, therefore, YOU did not believe him?’ But dare we say, ‘From men’?”—They were in fear of the crowd, for these all held that John had really been a prophet. Well, in reply to Jesus they said: “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling YOU by what authority I do these things.” Also, he started to speak to them with illustrations: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a vat for the winepress and erected a tower, and let it out to cultivators, and traveled abroad. Now in due season he sent forth a slave to the cultivators, that he might get some of the fruits of the vineyard from the cultivators. But they took him, beat him up and sent him away empty. And again he sent forth another slave to them; and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. And he sent forth another, and that one they killed; and many others, some of whom they beat up and some of whom they killed. One more he had, a beloved son. He sent him forth last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him outside the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the cultivators, and will give the vineyard to others. Did YOU never read this scripture, ‘The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone. From Jehovah this has come to be, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” At that they began seeking how to seize him, but they feared the crowd, for they took note that he spoke the illustration with them in mind. So they left him and went away. Next they sent forth to him some of the Pharisees and of the party followers of Herod, to catch him in his speech. On arrival these said to him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and you do not care for anybody, for you do not look upon men’s outward appearance, but you teach the way of God in line with truth: Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” Detecting their hypocrisy, he said to them: “Why do YOU put me to the test? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one. And he said to them: “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him: “Caesar’s.” Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” And they began to marvel at him. Now Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they put the question to him: “Teacher, Moses wrote us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring from her for his brother. There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, but when he died he left no offspring. And the second took her, but died without leaving offspring; and the third the same way. And the seven did not leave any offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection to which of them will she be wife? For the seven got her as wife.” Jesus said to them: “Is not this why YOU are mistaken, YOUR not knowing either the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens. But concerning the dead, that they are raised up, did YOU not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the thornbush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’? He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living. YOU are much mistaken.” Now when they were getting near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and told them: “Go into the village that is within sight, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied on which no man has sat until now. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’” So they went away and found the colt tied at a door, outside on the side street, and they untied it. But some of those standing there said to them: “What are you doing untying the colt?” They told them just what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and they put their outer garments on it, and he sat on it. Also, many spread their outer garments on the road, but others cut down foliage from the fields. And those going in front and those coming behind kept shouting: “Save, we pray! Blessed is the one who comes in Jehovah’s name! Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David! Save, we pray, in the heights above! And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and he looked around at everything, but since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day when they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. From a distance he caught sight of a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see whether he could find something on it. But on coming to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. So he said to it: “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And his disciples were listening. They now came to Jerusalem. There he entered the temple and started to throw out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and he would not let anyone carry a utensil through the temple. He was teaching and saying to them: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a cave of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they began to seek how to kill him; for they were in fear of him, because all the crowd was astounded at his teaching. When it became late in the day, they went out of the city. But when they were passing by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered from its roots. Peter, remembering it, said to him: “Rabbi, see! the fig tree that you cursed has withered.” In reply Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you that whoever tells this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but has faith that what he says is going to happen, he will have it happen. This is why I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for, have faith that you have received them, and you will have them. And when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses.” “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses.” They came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came and said to him: “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?” Jesus said to them: “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism by John from heaven or from men? Answer me.” So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ But dare we say, ‘From men’?” They were in fear of the crowd, for these all held that John had really been a prophet. So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.” Then he started to speak to them with illustrations: “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a vat for the winepress and erected a tower; then he leased it to cultivators and traveled abroad. In due season he sent a slave to the cultivators to collect some of the fruits of the vineyard from them. But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another slave to them, and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. And he sent another, and that one they killed, and many others, some of whom they beat and some of whom they killed. One more he had, a beloved son. He sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the cultivators and will give the vineyard to others. Did you never read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone. This has come from Jehovah, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” At that they wanted to seize him, but they feared the crowd, for they knew that he spoke the illustration with them in mind. So they left him and went away. Next they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the party followers of Herod in order to catch him in his speech. On arriving, these said to him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and you do not seek anyone’s favor, for you do not look at the outward appearance of people, but you teach the way of God in line with truth. Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay, or should we not pay?” Detecting their hypocrisy, he said to them: “Why do you put me to the test? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one, and he said to them: “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him: “Caesar’s.” Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” And they were amazed at him. Now the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came and asked him: “Teacher, Moses wrote us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, but when he died he left no offspring. And the second married her but died without leaving offspring, and the third the same way. And all seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died. In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.” Jesus said to them: “Is not this why you are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are as angels in the heavens. But concerning the dead being raised up, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the thornbush, that God said to him: ‘I am the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’? He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.” Romans 13:1 (New International Version) Someone wrote, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ reply, ‘The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.’” So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. Some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They answered them just as Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it. So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: “Hosanna! lessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!” He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it. They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area. Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to death, yet they feared him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching. When evening came, they went out of the city. Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses.” They returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say, ‘[Then] why did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.” He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture passage: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’?” They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away. They sent some Phariseesd and Herodians to him to ensnare hime in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him. Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection [when they arise] whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, [the] God of Isaac, and [the] God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled.” As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses.” They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”