Mark 11  Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Triumphal Entry

11 When^(A) they approached Jerusalem,^(B) at Bethphage and Bethany^(C) near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

⁴ So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, ⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the donkey?” ⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.

⁸ Many people spread their robes on the road,^(D) and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.^{[a] 9} Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting:

¹¹ And He went into Jerusalem^(J) and into the temple complex.^(K) After looking around at everything, since it was already late, He went out to Bethany^(L) with the Twelve.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed

¹² The^(M) next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry. ¹³ After seeing in the distance a fig^(N) tree with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit^(O) from you again!”^(P) And His disciples^(Q) heard it.

Cleansing the Temple Complex

¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem,^(R) and He went into the temple complex^(S) and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers’^(T) tables and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.

¹⁷ Then He began to teach them: “Is it not written,^(U) My house^(V) will be called a house of prayer^(W) for all nations?^[c] But you have made it a den of thieves!”^{(X)[d] 18} Then the chief priests and the scribes^(Y) heard it and started looking for a way to destroy Him. For they were afraid^(Z) of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished by His teaching.

¹⁹ And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered

²⁰ Early^(AA) in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ Then Peter^(AB) remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi,^(AC) look! The fig tree that You cursed^(AD) is withered.”

²² Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.^{(AE) 23} I assure you:^(AF) If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt^(AG) in his heart, but believes^(AH) that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.^{(AI) 24} Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray^(AJ) and ask for^(AK)—believe that you have received^[e](AL) them, and you will have them. ²⁵ And whenever you stand^(AM) praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive^(AN) him, so that your Father^(AO) in heaven^(AP) will also forgive^(AQ) you your wrongdoing. [²⁶ But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven^(AR) forgive your wrongdoing.]”^[f][g]

Messiah’s Authority Challenged

²⁷ They^(AS) came again to Jerusalem.^(AT) As He was walking in the temple complex,^(AU) the chief priests, the scribes,^(AV) and the elders^(AW) came ²⁸ and asked Him, “By what authority^(AX) are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question;^(AY) then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ Was John’s baptism^(AZ) from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

³¹ They began to argue among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe^(BA) him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From men’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was a genuine prophet.^{(BB) 33} So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”