Mark 11:12--12:12
Cursing of the Fig Tree
11:12 Now the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.
11:13 After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
11:14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Cleansing the Temple
11:15 Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves,
11:16 and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
11:17 Then he began to teach them and said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have turned it into a den of robbers!”
11:18 The chief priests and the experts in the law heard it and they considered how they could assassinate him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed by his teaching.
11:19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
The Withered Fig Tree
11:20 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
11:21 Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.”
11:22 Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God.
11:23 I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
11:24 For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
11:25 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your sins.”
11:26 [[EMPTY]]
The Authority of Jesus
11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders came up to him
11:28 and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”
11:29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:
11:30 John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from people? Answer me.”
11:31 They discussed with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
11:32 But if we say, ‘From people – ’” (they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet).
11:33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants
12:1 Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop.
12:3 But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
12:4 So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously.
12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed.
12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’
12:8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.
12:9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
12:10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
12:11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12:12 Now they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So they left him and went away.