Matthew 21:12-32

¹²Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money-changers` tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves. <sup>13</sup>He said to them, "It is written, `My house will be called a house of prayer,` but you have made it a den of robbers!" <sup>14</sup>The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. <sup>15</sup>But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David!" they were moved with indignation, <sup>16</sup>and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, `Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?`" ¹⁷He left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

¹⁸Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever!" Immediately the fig tree withered away. ²⁰When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?" ²¹Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith, and don`t doubt, you will not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if you will tell this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,` it will be done. ²²All things, whatever you will ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?" ²⁴Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we will say, `From heaven,` he will tell us, `Why then did you not believe him?` ²⁶But if we will say, `From men,` we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet." ²⁷They answered Jesus, and said, "We don`t know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. <sup>28</sup>But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, `Son, go work today in my vineyard.` <sup>29</sup>He answered, `I will not,` but afterward he repented himself, and went. <sup>30</sup>He came to the second, and said likewise. He answered, `I go, sir,` but he didn`t go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus says to them, "Most assuredly I tell you, that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the kingdom of God before you. ³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn`t believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn`t even repent afterward, that you might believe him.