The Triumphal Entry
When Jesus and his followers were getting close to Jerusalem, they reached the villages of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Jesus called two of his disciples over to him and gave them specific instructions. "Go into the village just ahead of us," he told them. "As soon as you walk in, you'll see a young donkey tied up there—one that no one has ever ridden before. Untie it and bring it back to me. If anyone stops you and asks why you're taking it, just tell them, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back soon.'" The two disciples went into the village and found everything exactly as Jesus had described. The young donkey was there, tied up outside in the street next to a doorway. As they were untying it, some people who were standing nearby questioned them. "What are you doing? Why are you untying that donkey?" The disciples gave them the exact answer Jesus had told them to give, and the people let them take the animal. They led the donkey back to Jesus, and his followers threw their outer coats across its back to make a saddle. Jesus climbed on and began riding toward Jerusalem. As word spread through the crowd, many people took off their own coats and spread them out on the road in front of him like a carpet. Others hurried to cut fresh branches from the trees in the nearby fields and scattered them on the path. The crowd grew larger and more excited. People walked ahead of Jesus and behind him, all of them shouting joyfully. "Hosanna!" they cried out. "God bless the one who comes in the Lord's name! God bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" When Jesus finally entered Jerusalem, he went straight to the temple courtyard. He walked around, carefully observing everything that was happening there. But since the day was already ending and it was getting late, he left the city and returned to Bethany with his twelve disciples for the night.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree
The morning after they left Bethany, Jesus was hungry as they walked along the road. He spotted a fig tree some distance away that was covered with green leaves, so he went over to check if it had any fruit he could eat. When he reached the tree, he discovered there was nothing on it but leaves—which made sense, since it wasn't the right time of year for figs to be ripe. Jesus then spoke directly to the tree: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." His disciples were close enough to hear him say these words.
The Cleansing of the Temple
When Jesus and his disciples reached Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple area. There he saw people buying and selling goods right in the sacred courts. Jesus began forcing all these merchants to leave. He flipped over the tables where men were exchanging money, and he knocked over the benches where people were selling doves for sacrifices. Jesus would not let anyone use the temple courts as a shortcut to carry their goods from one place to another. As Jesus drove out the merchants, he taught the people who had gathered around. "Doesn't Scripture say, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for people from every nation'?" Jesus declared. "But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves." The leading priests and the teachers of religious law heard about what Jesus had done and said. They began making plans to kill him. But they were afraid to act immediately because Jesus had amazed the crowds with his teaching, and the people hung on his every word. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city and went back to where they were staying.
The Withered Fig Tree and Teaching on Faith
The next morning, as they walked along the same path, they saw that the fig tree had completely withered away, dead all the way down to its roots. Peter suddenly remembered what had happened the day before and called out, "Teacher, look! The fig tree you spoke against yesterday—it's completely dead!" Jesus turned to them and said, "Put your trust in God." Then he continued, "I'm telling you the absolute truth: if someone tells this mountain to pick itself up and throw itself into the sea, and if that person has no doubt whatsoever in their heart but truly believes it will happen, then it will happen exactly as they said. This is why I tell you that when you pray and ask God for anything, believe that you have already received what you're asking for, and it will become yours. And whenever you stand up to pray, if you're holding anger or resentment against someone, let it go and forgive them. When you do this, your Father in heaven will also forgive the wrongs you have done."
The Question of Jesus' Authority
When they returned to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking through the temple courtyards. The chief priests, religious teachers, and community leaders approached him with a challenge. They demanded to know, "What gives you the right to do these things? Who gave you permission to act this way?" Jesus responded with his own question. "I'll ask you something first," he said. "If you answer me, then I'll tell you what gives me the right to do these things. Tell me about John's baptism—did his authority come from God in heaven, or was it just from human beings? Give me your answer." The religious leaders huddled together, whispering frantically about how to respond. They realized they were trapped. "If we say his authority came from heaven," they reasoned among themselves, "then Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John or follow him." They considered their other option: "But if we say John's authority was merely human..." They couldn't finish the thought because they were terrified of how the crowd would react. Everyone believed that John had truly been a prophet sent by God. Finally, they gave their answer: "We don't know." Jesus looked at them and replied, "Then I won't tell you what gives me the authority to do these things either."