11 When they were near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, beside the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 with these instructions: “Go into the village opposite, and immediately as you enter you will find a colt tied up which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you what you are doing, say, ‘The lord needs it and will return it soon.’” 4 So they went off and found a colt tied to a door, out on the street, and they untied it. 5 Some people standing there asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 The disciples replied just as Jesus had instructed them, and the people let them take it. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.  9 Those out in front and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna![286] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David![287] Hosanna in the highest!”
    11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.  12 The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus became hungry.  13 From far away he saw a fig tree with leaves, so he went to see if it had any fruit. But when he came to it, he found only leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  14 He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again,” and his disciples heard what he said.
    15 They arrived in Jerusalem, and he went into the Temple and started throwing out the people buying and selling in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the dove sellers’ chairs.  16 He would not let anyone carry merchandise through the Temple.  17 And he was teaching them, “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you turned it into a robbers’ den!”  18 The chief priests and religious teachers heard what he said, and began looking for a way to kill him because they were afraid of him, as the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
    19 When evening came Jesus and his disciples used to leave the city. 20 The following morning as they walked along, they saw the fig tree, withered from the roots up.  21 Peter, reminded of what had happened, said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 Jesus replied, “Have faith in God and the faith taught by God through me. [288] 23 I am telling you the truth: if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he is asking will happen, then he will have it. 24 So I am telling you that whatever you are praying for, whatever you are asking, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you are praying, if you have something against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your sins.”  [26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your sins.][289]
    27 They arrived back in Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, religious teachers, and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing all this?” they asked him. “Who gave you this authority?”     29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you just one question. You answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do what I do. 30 Answer me: was the baptism of John from heaven or from people?” 31 They discussed it among themselves. “If we say it is from heaven, he will reply, ‘So why did you not believe him?’  32 But if we say, it is from people…” They were afraid of the people, because they were all convinced that John was a real prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” Jesus replied, “Then I am not telling you by what authority I act.”