Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12 iAnd Jesus entered the temple1 and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the jmoney-changers and the seats of those who sold kpigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, l‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a mden of robbers.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
n“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 oIn the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a pfig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 qWhen the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And rwhatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 sAnd when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what tauthority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you unot believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a vprophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
15 zThen the Pharisees went and plotted how ato entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, bwe know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for cyou are not swayed by dappearances.1 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay etaxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you fhypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.2 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore grender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
23 hThe same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no iresurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, j‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 k‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were lastonished at his teaching.
