Matthew 21

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

1 (Mark 11.1-11; Luke 19.28-38; John 12.12-19) When Jesus and his disciples came near Jerusalem, he went to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and sent two of them on ahead.2 He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will at once find a donkey and her colt. Untie the two donkeys and bring them to me.

3 If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lordt needs them.’ Right away he will let you have the donkeys.”

4 So God’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said,

5 t5“Announce to the people of Jerusalem:
‘Your king is coming to you!
He is humble
and rides on a donkey.
He comes on the colt
of a donkey.’ ”

6 The disciples left and did what Jesus had told them to do.

7 They brought the donkey and its colt and laid some clothes on their backs. Then Jesus got on.
8 Many people spread clothes in the road, while others put down branchest which they had cut from trees.

9 t9 Some people walked ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They were all shouting, “Hoorayt for the Son of David! t God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hooray for God
in heaven above!”

10 When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, “Who can this be?”
11 The crowd answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus in the Temple

12 (Mark 11.15-19; Luke 19.45-48; John 2.13-22) Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves.

13 t13 He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be called a place of worship.’ But you have turned it into a place where robbers hide.”
14 Blind and lame people came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them.15 But the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were angry when they saw his miracles and heard the children shouting praises to the Son of David.t16 t16 The men said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear what those children are saying?” “Yes, I do!” Jesus answered. “Don’t you know that the Scriptures say, ‘Children and infants will sing praises’?”17 Then Jesus left the city and went out to the village of Bethany, where he spent the night.

Jesus Puts a Curse on a Fig Tree

18 (Mark 11.12-14, 20-24) When Jesus got up the next morning, he was hungry. He started out for the city,

19 and along the way he saw a fig tree. But when he came to it, he found only leaves and no figs. So he told the tree, “You will never again grow any fruit!” Right then the fig tree dried up.
20 The disciples were shocked when they saw how quickly the tree had dried up.21 t21 But Jesus said to them, “If you have faith and don’t doubt, I promise that you can do what I did to this tree. And you will be able to do even more. You can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will.22 If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for.”

A Question About Jesus’ Authority

23 (Mark 11.27-33; Luke 20.1-8) Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

24 Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things.25 Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?” They thought it over and said to each other, “We can’t say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe John.26 On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.”27 So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”

A Story About Two Sons

28 Jesus said:
I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think. The father went to the older son and said, “Go work in the vineyard today!”29 His son told him that he would not do it, but later he changed his mind and went.30 The man then told his younger son to go work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but he didn’t go.31 Which one of the sons obeyed his father? “The older one,” the chief priests and leaders answered.
Then Jesus told them:
You can be sure that tax collectorst and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you ever will!32 t32 When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.

Renters of a Vineyard

33 (Mark 12.1-12; Luke 20.9-19) t Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story: A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.

34 When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes.35 But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death.

36 He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.
37 Finally, the owner sent his own son to the renters, because he thought they would respect him.38 But when they saw the man’s son, they said, “Someday he will own the vineyard. Let’s kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves.”

39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 Jesus asked, “When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?”

41 The chief priests and leaders answered, “He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time.”

42 t Jesus replied, “You surely know that the Scriptures say, ‘The stone that the builders
tossed aside
is now the most important
stone of all.
This is something
the Lord has done,
and it is amazing to us.’

43 I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.

44 Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces.” t
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them.

46 So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.

Matthew 22

The Great Banquet

1 (Luke 14.15-24) Once again Jesus used stories to teach the people:

2 The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a king gave a wedding banquet for his son.3 The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused.

4 He sent other servants to say to the guests, “The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!”
5 But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business.

6 Others grabbed the servants, then beat them up and killed them.
7 This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city.8 Then he said to the servants, “It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don’t deserve to come.9 Go out to the street corners and tell everyone you meet to come to the banquet.”

10 They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests.
11 When the king went in to meet the guests, he found that one of them wasn’t wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding.12 The king asked, “Friend, why didn’t you wear proper clothes for the wedding?” But the guest had no excuse.13 t13 So the king gave orders for that person to be tied hand and foot and to be thrown outside into the dark. That’s where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.14 Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.

Paying Taxes

15 (Mark 12.13-17; Luke 20.20-26) The Pharisees got together and planned how they could trick Jesus into saying something wrong.16 They sent some of their followers and some of Herod’s followerst to say to him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest. You teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are.

17 Tell us what you think! Should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”
18 Jesus knew their evil thoughts and said, “Why are you trying to test me? You show-offs!19 Let me see one of the coins used for paying taxes.” They brought him a silver coin,

20 and he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”
21 “The Emperor’s,” they answered. Then Jesus told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.”22 His answer surprised them so much that they walked away.

Life in the Future World

23 (Mark 12.18-27; Luke 20.27-40) t The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus and said:

24 t Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.
25 Once there were seven brothers who lived here. The first one married, but died without having any children. So his wife was left to his brother.26 The same thing happened to the second and third brothers and finally to all seven of them.27 At last the woman died.

28 When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? She had been married to all seven brothers.
29 Jesus answered: You are completely wrong! You don’t know what the Scriptures teach. And you don’t know anything about the power of God.30 When God raises people to life, they won’t marry. They will be like the angels in heaven.31 And as for people being raised to life, God was speaking to you when he said,

32 t32 “I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”t He isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 The crowds were surprised to hear what Jesus was teaching.

The Most Important Commandment

34 (Mark 12.28-34; Luke 10.25-28) After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together.35 t35 One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking,

36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”
37 t Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.38 This is the first and most important commandment.39 t39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.”40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophetst are based on these two commandments.

About David’s Son

41 (Mark 12.35-37; Luke 20.41-44) While the Pharisees were still there, Jesus asked them,

42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose family will he come from?” They answered, “He will be a son of King David.” t

43 Jesus replied, “How then could the Spirit have David call the Messiah his Lord? David said,

44 t44‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right side t until I make your enemies
into a footstool for you.’

45 If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be a son of King David?”

46 No one was able to give Jesus an answer, and from that day on, no one dared ask him any more questions.

Matthew 23

Jesus Condemns the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law of Moses

1 (Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-52; 20.45-47) Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

2 The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses.

3 So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
4 They pile heavy burdens on people’s shoulders and won’t lift a finger to help.5 t5 Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tasselst for everyone to see.6 They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the meeting places.

7 And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.
8 But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters.9 Don’t call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven.10 None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader.11 t11 Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others.

12 t12 If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.

13-14 You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won’t go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in. t

15 You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.
16 You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn’t matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple.

17 You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 You also teach that it doesn’t matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar.19 Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?20 Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it.21 And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there.

22 t22 To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God’s throne and by the one who sits on that throne.
23 t You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you’re in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either.

24 You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.
25 You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you’re in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness.

26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean.
27 t You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You’re like tombs that have been whitewashed.t On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth.

28 That’s what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.
29 You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you’re in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people.30 And you claim that you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets.31 But you prove that you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets.32 So keep on doing everything they did.

33 t33 You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell?
34 I will send prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses to you. But you will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your meeting places or chase them from town to town.35 t35 That’s why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah’s son Zechariah,t the man you murdered between the temple and the altar.36 I can promise that you people living today will be punished for all these things!

Jesus Loves Jerusalem

37 (Luke 13.34, 35) Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn’t let me.38 t38 And now your temple will be deserted.

39 t39 You won’t see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.”