Gospel according to Mark 11

¹ When they were approaching Jerusalem, in sight of Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

² and said to them, ‘Go off to the village facing you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that 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 will send it back here directly”.’

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 sat on it.

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

⁹ And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord ![*a]

¹⁰ Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heavens!’

¹¹ He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked all round him, but as it was now late, 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 when he 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’ he said. And his disciples heard him say this.

¹⁵ So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling pigeons.

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 will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples?[*b] But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.'[*c]

¹⁸ This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doing away 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 you cursed has withered away.’

²² Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God.

²³ I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea”, with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

²⁴ I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours.

²⁵ And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.’

²⁷ They came to Jerusalem again, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes 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 do these things?’

²⁹ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you a question, only one; answer me and I will tell you my authority for acting like this.

³⁰ John’s baptism: did it come from heaven, or from man? Answer me that.’

³¹ And they argued it out this way among themselves: ‘If we say from heaven, he will say, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”

³² But dare we say from man?’ – they had the people to fear, for everyone held that John was a real prophet.

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