1Jesus og hans følge var nu tæt på Jerusalem i nærheden af landsbyerne Betfage og Betania på Olivenbjergets skråning.[1] Da kaldte Jesus på to af sine disciple. (Matt 21,1; Luk 19,28; Joh 12,12)2„Gå hen til den landsby, I ser foran jer,” sagde han. „Når I kommer derhen, vil I med det samme få øje på et æselføl, der endnu ikke har været brugt som ridedyr. Det står bundet, men I skal løse det og bringe det herhen.3Hvis nogen spørger jer, hvad I skal med det, så sig: ‚Herren har brug for det, men han vil straks sende det tilbage.’ ”4De to mænd gik og fandt æselføllet bundet ved en dør ud til gaden. Da de var ved at løse det,5råbte nogle folk i nærheden: „Hvad er det, I gør? Hvad skal I med det føl?”6De svarede, som Jesus havde sagt, og så fik de lov at tage føllet.7Æslet blev ført hen til Jesus, og disciplene lagde deres kapper over ryggen på det. Derefter satte Jesus sig op på æslet og red ind mod Jerusalem.8Som en hyldest til ham gav mange mennesker sig til at brede deres kapper ud på vejen, mens andre skar nogle palmegrene af og lagde dem som et tæppe på vejen.9Både de, der gik foran, og de, der gik bagved, råbte: „Hoshana![2] Velsignet er den, som kommer i Herrens navn! (Salm 118,25)10Gud velsigne vores forfar Davids rige, som er på vej! Hoshana til Gud i det Højeste!”11På den måde red Jesus ind i Jerusalem. Han gik straks op til templet, hvor han så sig omkring, men da det var sent, gik han sammen med de Tolv ud til Betania for at overnatte der.
Figentræet uden frugt
12Næste morgen, da de gik fra Betania ind mod Jerusalem, blev Jesus sulten. (Matt 21,18)13Han så på lang afstand et figentræ, som havde masser af blade, og han gik hen for at se, om der måske var figner på det, men der var kun blade. Frugtsæsonen var jo heller ikke begyndt.14Så sagde han til træet: „Aldrig mere skal nogen spise frugt af dig!”[3] Det hørte hans disciple.
Den sidste tempeludrensning
15Kort efter nåede de Jerusalem, hvor Jesus gik ind på tempelpladsen og begyndte at jage de handlende og deres kunder ud. Han væltede valutahandlernes borde og duesælgernes bænke, (Matt 21,12; Luk 19,45)16og han tillod ingen at bære deres varer gennem templets område.[4] (Joh 2,13)17Derefter begyndte Jesus at undervise folk. Han sagde: „Siger Skriften ikke: ‚Mit hus skal være et bønnens hus for alle folkeslag.’[5]? Men I har gjort det til et ‚tilholdssted for røvere’[6]!” (Es 56,7; Jer 7,11)18Da ypperstepræsterne og de skriftlærde fik at vide, hvad Jesus havde gjort, begyndte de at lægge planer om, hvordan de bedst kunne få ham ryddet af vejen. De var nemlig bange for ham, da han var en trussel mod deres autoritet, og folk var ovenud begejstrede for hans undervisning.19Da det blev aften, gik Jesus og disciplene igen uden for byen.
Betydningen af tro og tilgivelse
20Næste morgen kom de forbi det figentræ, som Jesus havde forbandet, og disciplene lagde mærke til, at det var visnet fra roden af. (Matt 21,20)21Peter huskede, hvad Jesus dagen forinden havde sagt til træet, og han udbrød: „Se, Mester! Det figentræ, du forbandede, er visnet!”22Jesus svarede sine disciple: „Ja, I må have tro til Gud.23Og det siger jeg jer: Hvis I befaler sådan et ‚bjerg’: ‚Du skal rykkes op og kastes i havet,’ så vil det ske, forudsat at I ikke inderst inde tvivler på det, men virkelig tror på, at det vil ske.24På den baggrund siger jeg til jer: Alt, hvad I beder og bønfalder om—tro, at I har fået det, så er det jeres!25Men før I begynder at bede, skal I tilgive dem, som I har noget imod, så jeres Far i Himlen også kan tilgive jer de synder, I har begået.26Men hvis I ikke tilgiver, så vil jeres Far, som er i Himlen, heller ikke tilgive jeres synder.”[7]
De jødiske lederes uærlighed
27Kort efter nåede de frem til Jerusalem, hvor Jesus straks gik op på tempelpladsen for at undervise. Men ypperstepræsterne, de skriftlærde og nogle andre jødiske ledere kom hen og konfronterede ham. (Matt 21,23; Luk 20,1)28„Hvem har givet dig lov til at gøre det, du gør her i templet?”29„Lad mig først stille jer et spørgsmål,” svarede Jesus. „Hvis I svarer mig på det, skal jeg gerne fortælle jer, hvem der har givet mig lov til at gøre det, jeg gør her.30Var Johannes Døber udsendt af Gud, eller var han ikke? Svar mig på det.”31De drøftede så indbyrdes, hvad de skulle svare: „Hvis vi siger, at Johannes var sendt af Gud, så vil han spørge, hvorfor vi ikke troede på ham.32Hvis vi siger, at han ikke var sendt af Gud, så får vi folket imod os.” Alle var nemlig overbevist om, at Johannes var en profet.33Derfor svarede de: „Det ved vi ikke.” „Så vil jeg heller ikke fortælle jer, hvem der har givet mig lov til at gøre, hvad jeg gør her,” sagde Jesus.
1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus[1] sent two of his disciples (Zak 9,9; Zak 14,4; Matt 21,1; Matt 21,17; Matt 24,3; Matt 26,30; Mark 14,13; Luk 19,29; Luk 24,50; Joh 8,1; Joh 11,18; Joh 12,12; Ap G 1,12)2and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. (Luk 23,53)3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”4And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.5And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”6And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.7And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.8And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. (2.Kong 9,13)9And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Salm 118,25; Salm 118,26; Matt 23,39)10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Salm 148,1; Ez 37,24; Mark 11,9; Luk 1,32; Luk 2,14; Ap G 2,29)11And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. (Matt 21,10; Matt 21,17; Mark 11,19)
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. (Matt 4,2; Matt 21,18)13And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (Mark 13,28; Luk 13,6)14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. (2.Mos 30,13; 3.Mos 1,14; 3.Mos 5,7; 3.Mos 12,8; Matt 21,12; Luk 2,24; Luk 19,45; Joh 2,14)16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Es 56,7; Jer 7,11)18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. (Matt 7,28; Matt 21,46)19And when evening came they[2] went out of the city. (Mark 11,11; Luk 21,37)
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. (Matt 21,19)21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” (Joh 1,38)22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. (Ef 3,12; Filip 3,9)23Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (Salm 46,2; Matt 17,20; Mark 16,17; Joh 14,12; Rom 4,20; Rom 14,23; 1.Kor 13,2; Jak 1,6; Åb 8,8)24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received[3] it, and it will be yours. (Es 65,24; Matt 6,8; Matt 7,7; Mark 11,23)25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”[4] (Matt 5,23; Matt 6,5; Matt 6,14; Matt 6,15; Matt 7,11; Luk 18,11; Kol 3,13)
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, (Matt 21,23; Luk 20,1)28and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” (2.Mos 2,14; Joh 1,25; Ap G 4,7)29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.30Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” (Luk 15,18; Luk 15,21; Joh 3,27)31And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ (Matt 21,32; Luk 7,30)32But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. (Matt 11,9; Matt 14,5; Matt 21,46; Joh 5,35)33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”