The Gospel According to St. Matthew

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- Chapter 21 -

(Zechariah 9:9–13; Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:28–40; John 12:12–19)

And when they had drawn near to Jerusalem, and had arrived at Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,(a)

saying to them: “Go into the town that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Release them, and lead them to me.

And if anyone will have said anything to you, say that the Lord has need of them. And he will promptly dismiss them.”

Now all this was done in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your king comes to you meekly, sitting on a donkey and on a colt, the son of one accustomed to the yoke.”

Then the disciples, going out, did just as Jesus instructed them.

And they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments on them, and they helped him sit upon them.

Then a very numerous crowd spread their garments on the way. But others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the way.

And the crowds that preceded him, and those that followed, cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”

And when he had entered into Jerusalem, the entire city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

But the people were saying, “This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

(Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48; John 2:12–25)

And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and he cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the vendors of doves.

And he said to them: “It is written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have made it into a den of robbers.’ ”(b)

And the blind and the lame drew near to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Then the leaders of the priests and the scribes became indignant, seeing the miracles that he wrought, and the children crying out in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

And they said to him, “Do you hear what these ones are saying?” But Jesus said to them, “Certainly. Have you never read: For out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have perfected praise?”

And leaving them behind, he went out, beyond the city, into Bethania, and he lodged here.

The Barren Fig Tree

(Mark 11:12–14; Mark 11:20–25)

Then, as he was returning to the city in the morning, he was hungry.

And seeing a certain fig tree beside the way, he approached it. And he found nothing on it, except only leaves. And he said to it, “May fruit never spring forth from you, for all time.” And immediately the fig tree was dried up.

And seeing this, the disciples wondered, saying, “How did it dry up so quickly?”

And Jesus responded to them by saying: “Amen I say to you, if you have faith and do not hesitate, not only shall you do this, concerning the fig tree, but even if you would say to this mountain, ‘Take and cast yourself into the sea,’ it shall be done.

And all things whatsoever that you shall ask for in prayer: believing, you shall receive.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

(Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8)

And when he had arrived at the temple, as he was teaching, the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people approached him, saying: “By what authority do you do these things? And who has given this authority to you?”

In response, Jesus said to them: “I also will question you with one word: if you tell me this, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.

The baptism of John, where was it from? Was it from heaven, or from men?” But they thought within themselves, saying:

“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we have the crowd to fear, for they all hold John to be a prophet.”

And so, they answered Jesus by saying, “We do not know.” So he also said to them: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

But how does it seem to you? A certain man had two sons. And approaching the first, he said: ‘Son, go out today to work in my vineyard.’

And responding, he said, ‘I am not willing.’ But afterwards, being moved by repentance, he went.

And approaching the other, he spoke similarly. And answering, he said, ‘I am going, lord.’ And he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of the father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them: “Amen I say to you, that tax collectors and prostitutes shall precede you, into the kingdom of God.(c)

For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Yet even after seeing this, you did not repent, so as to believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

(Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–18)

Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad.

Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits.

And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another.

Again, he sent other servants, more than before; and they treated them similarly.

Then, at the very end, he sent his son to them, saying: ‘They will revere my son.’

But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.’

And apprehending him, they cast him outside the vineyard, and they killed him.(d)

Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those farmers?”

They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time.”

Jesus said to them: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’(e)

Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits.

And whoever will have fallen on this stone shall be broken, yet truly, on whomever it shall fall, it will crush him.”

And when the leaders of the priests, and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.

And though they sought to take hold of him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.(f)

Footnotes

(a)21:1 Or, the Mount of Olive Gardens.(Conte)

(b)21:13 The Jewish Law distinguishes between theft and robbery; the former involves secretive stealing, the latter involves stealing directly from someone, using force. The word ‘latronum’ refers to robbery, not theft.(Conte)

(d)21:39 Christ was killed just outside Jerusalem, the holy city.(Conte)

(e)21:42 The question mark is omitted because the quote from Scripture is not a question and because it is a rhetorical question.(Conte)

(f)21:46 Or, ‘the Prophet’ (the one predicted to be greater than Moses).(Conte)

(Zechariah 9:9–13; Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:28–40; John 12:12–19)

When they came near to Jerusalem and came to Bethsphage,(a) to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”(b)

The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them,

and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna

(c)

to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (d)

When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

The multitudes said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

(Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48; John 2:12–25)

Jesus 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.

He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ (e) but you have made it a den of robbers!” (f)

The lame and the blind came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

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 indignant,

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 children and nursing babies, you have perfected praise’?” (g)

He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.

The Barren Fig Tree

(Mark 11:12–14; Mark 11:20–25)

Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

Seeing 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.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?”

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it would be done.

All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

(Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8)

When 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?”

Jesus 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.

The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.”

They 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.

The Parable of the Two Sons

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.’

He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went.

He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I’m going, sir,’ but he didn’t go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you.

For 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.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

(Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–18)

“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country.

When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit.

The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way.

But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’

So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him.

When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers who will give him the fruit in its season.”

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’? (h)

“Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.

When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

Footnotes

(a)21:1 TR &NU read “Bethphage” instead of “Bethsphage”

(b)21:5 ℘ Zechariah 9:9

(d)21:9 ℘ Psalms 118:26

(e)21:13 ℘ Isaiah 56:7

(f)21:13 ℘ Jeremiah 7:11

(g)21:16 ℘ Psalms 8:2

(h)21:42 ℘ Psalms 118:22-23