1Da de nærmede sig landsbyen Betfage på Olivenbjergets skråning tæt ved Jerusalem, sagde Jesus til to af sine disciple: (Mark 11,1; Luk 19,28; Joh 12,12)2„Gå hen til den landsby, I ser foran jer. Der vil I hurtigt få øje på et æsel, som står bundet med sit føl ved siden af. Løs æslet og kom hen til mig med dem.3Hvis nogen stiller jer spørgsmål, skal I bare sige: Herren har brug for dem, men han vil straks sende dem tilbage.”4På den måde gik det i opfyldelse, som Gud havde talt gennem profeten:5„Sig til Jerusalems indbyggere: Se, jeres konge er på vej! Han er ydmyg og rider på et hanæsel— det er et æselføl.”[1] (Zak 9,9)6De to disciple gjorde, som Jesus havde sagt.7De hentede hunæslet og det unge hanæsel og lagde deres kapper på dem, hvorefter Jesus satte sig op på æselføllet.8Mange mennesker i mængden bredte deres kapper ud på vejen foran ham, mens andre lagde palmegrene ud, alt sammen for at hylde ham.9Og både de, der gik foran, og de, der gik bagved, råbte: „Hoshana,[2] Davids Søn! Velsignet er den, som kommer i Herrens navn! Hoshana til Gud i det Højeste!” (Salm 118,25)10Der blev røre i hele Jerusalem, da Jesus kom ind i byen. „Hvem er han?” spurgte folk.11„Det er Jesus,” lød det fra dem i optoget, „profeten fra Nazaret i Galilæa!”
Den sidste tempeludrensning
12Jesus gik senere ind på tempelpladsen og begyndte at jage alle de handlende og deres kunder ud. Han væltede valutahandlernes[3] borde og duesælgernes bænke og råbte til dem: (Mark 11,15; Luk 19,45)13„Skriften siger, at ‚mit hus skal være et bønnens hus’,[4] men I gør det til ‚et tilholdssted for røvere’.[5]” (Es 56,7; Jer 7,11)14Blinde og lamme mennesker blev ført hen til ham på tempelpladsen, og han helbredte dem.15Men da ypperstepræsterne og de skriftlærde så de mange helbredelsesmirakler og hørte børnene løbe omkring og råbe: „Priset være Davids Søn!”, blev de rasende og sagde til Jesus:16„Hører du ikke, hvad børnene råber?” „Jo, det har jeg hørt,” sagde han. „Men I har måske aldrig læst det sted i Skrifterne, hvor der står: ‚Du har fået småbørn til at lovprise din herlighed’?”[6] (Salm 8,3)17Så forlod han dem og gik ud af byen til Betania, hvor han overnattede.
Figentræet uden frugt
18Tidligt om morgenen på vej ind til Jerusalem, blev Jesus sulten. (Mark 11,12)19Han fik øje på et figentræ, der stod ved vejen, og gik hen for at se, om der var nogen frugter på det. Men der var kun blade. Så sagde han til træet: „Aldrig mere skal du bære frugt!”[7] Og straks visnede træet.20Da disciplene så det, var de forbløffede. „Hvordan kunne det træ visne så hurtigt?” spurgte de.21Jesus svarede: „Det siger jeg jer: Hvis I tror uden at tvivle, så vil I ikke blot kunne gøre sådan med et figentræ, men I vil endog kunne sige til det ‚bjerg’ her: ‚Flyt dig ud i havet!’ Og så vil det ske.22I skal få alt, hvad I beder om, hvis I tror.”
De jødiske lederes uærlighed
23Da Jesus var nået frem til templet og var i gang med at undervise, kom ypperstepræsterne og andre af de jødiske ledere hen og konfronterede ham. „Hvem har givet dig lov til at gøre det, du gør her i templet?” (Mark 11,27; Luk 20,1)24„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.25Hvem gav Johannes Døber ret til at døbe? Var han udsendt af Gud, eller var han ikke?” De 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.26Og hvis vi siger, at han ikke var sendt af Gud, så falder hele hoben over os, for de tror alle sammen, at Johannes var en profet.”27Til sidst sagde de: „Det ved vi ikke.” „Så vil jeg heller ikke fortælle jer, hvem der har givet mig lov til at gøre det, jeg gør her.”
De jødiske lederes hykleriske ulydighed
28„Hvad mener I så om følgende historie?” fortsatte Jesus: „Der var en mand, der havde to sønner. En dag sagde han til den ene af sønnerne: ‚Gå ud og arbejd i vingården.’29‚Nej, det vil jeg ikke,’ svarede sønnen, men lidt senere ombestemte han sig og gik alligevel derud.30Faderen gik også til den anden søn med den samme anmodning. ‚Det skal jeg nok!’ svarede sønnen, men han gik alligevel ikke derud.31Hvem af de to gjorde, hvad faderen havde bedt dem om?” „Det gjorde den første,” svarede de. „Det siger jeg jer: Bedragere og prostituerede kommer lettere ind i Guds rige, end I gør.32For Johannes Døber forkyndte, at I skulle ændre jeres indstilling, men det ville I ikke. Derimod var både bedragere og prostituerede villige til at ændre indstilling. Det så I godt, men alligevel ombestemte I jer ikke.”
Jesus afslører de jødiske lederes ondskab
33„Lad mig fortælle jer en anden historie,” fortsatte Jesus. „Der var en landmand, som ville dyrke vindruer på sin mark. Han tilplantede marken, lavede et stengærde omkring den og byggede et vagttårn for at beskytte den mod røvere. Så udhuggede han et bassin i klippegrunden, hvor saften kunne presses af druerne. Derefter lejede han sin vinmark ud til nogle forpagtere og rejste selv til udlandet. (Mark 12,1; Luk 20,9)34Ved høsttid sendte han nogle af sine folk derhen, for at de kunne få udleveret den del af druehøsten, der tilfaldt ham.35Men forpagterne overfaldt dem. En slog de til jorden, en anden dræbte de, og en tredje stenede de.36Så sendte ejeren endnu flere af sine folk af sted, for at de kunne opkræve hans del af høsten. Men resultatet var det samme.37Til sidst sendte han sin søn, for han tænkte: ‚Min søn må de da respektere.’38Men da forpagterne fik øje på sønnen, sagde de til hinanden: ‚Der har vi ham, der skal arve det hele. Kom, lad os gøre det af med ham, så vi kan få arven.’39Så greb de ham, trak ham uden for vingården og slog ham ihjel.”40Jesus afsluttede historien med et spørgsmål: „Når nu ejeren selv kommer, hvad vil han så gøre med forpagterne?”41De svarede: „Han vil slå de onde mennesker ihjel, og så vil han forpagte ejendommen bort til andre, som vil give ham hans del af høsten, når tiden er inde.”42Så spurgte Jesus dem: „Har I aldrig læst, hvad der står skrevet: ‚Den sten, bygmestrene kasserede, er blevet selve hjørnestenen. Det er Herren, der har gjort det, og det er forunderligt at se.’[8]?” (Salm 118,22)43Og han fortsatte: „Derfor siger jeg jer: Guds rige skal tages fra jer og gives til et folk, som vil gøre, hvad Gud beder dem om.44De, der snubler over denne sten, vil slå sig fordærvet, men dem stenen falder på, vil blive knust.”45Ypperstepræsterne og farisæerne forstod udmærket, at historierne handlede om dem.46De ville gerne have anholdt ham på stedet, men de var bange for, hvad folkeskaren så ville gøre, for alle anså ham for at være en profet.
1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, (Zak 14,4; Matt 24,3; Matt 26,30; Mark 11,1; Mark 14,13; Luk 19,29; Joh 8,1; Joh 12,12; Ap G 1,12)2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, (Matt 1,22)5“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt,[1] the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Es 62,11; Zak 9,9; Matt 11,29)6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (2.Kong 9,13)9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Salm 118,25; Salm 118,26; Salm 148,1; Matt 20,30; Matt 23,39; Luk 2,14; Åb 7,10)10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” (Mark 11,11)11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matt 2,23; Matt 21,46; Mark 6,15; Luk 7,16; Luk 9,8; Luk 9,19; Luk 13,33; Luk 24,19; Joh 1,21; Joh 4,19; Joh 6,14; Joh 7,40; Joh 9,17)
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12And Jesus entered the temple[2] and drove out all who sold and 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; Mark 11,15; Luk 2,24; Luk 19,45; Joh 2,14)13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Es 56,7; Jer 7,11)14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. (Matt 11,5; Matt 15,31)15But 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, (Matt 21,9; Luk 19,39)16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Salm 8,2; Matt 11,25; Matt 12,3; Matt 12,5; Matt 19,4; Matt 21,42; Matt 22,31)17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. (Matt 16,4; Mark 11,1; Mark 11,19; Luk 19,29; Luk 21,37; Luk 24,50; Joh 11,18)
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. (Matt 4,2; Mark 11,12; Mark 11,20)19And seeing a fig 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. (Luk 13,6)20When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”21And 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. (Salm 46,2; Matt 17,20; Joh 14,12; Ap G 10,20; Rom 4,20; Rom 14,23; 1.Kor 13,2; Jak 1,6; Åb 8,8)22And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matt 7,7; Matt 21,21)
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23And 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 authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (2.Mos 2,14; Matt 26,55; Mark 11,27; Luk 20,1; Joh 1,25; Ap G 4,7)24Jesus 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.25The 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 not believe him?’ (Matt 13,54; Matt 21,32; Luk 7,30; Luk 15,18; Luk 15,21; Joh 3,27)26But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” (Matt 11,9; Matt 14,5; Matt 21,46; Joh 5,35)27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ (Matt 17,25; Matt 18,12; Matt 20,1; Matt 21,33)29And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. (Matt 21,32; Matt 27,3; Heb 7,21)30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matt 12,28; Luk 7,29; Luk 7,37)32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Ord 8,20; Matt 3,8; Matt 3,15; Matt 11,18; Matt 21,25; Matt 21,29; Luk 3,12; 2.Pet 2,21)
The Parable of the Tenants
33“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. (Salm 80,8; Høj 8,11; Es 5,1; Es 5,2; Matt 21,28; Matt 25,14; Mark 12,1; Mark 13,34; Luk 20,9)34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[3] to the tenants to get his fruit. (Matt 21,33)35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. (2.Krøn 24,19; 2.Krøn 24,21; 2.Krøn 36,15; Neh 9,26; Jer 37,15; Jer 38,6; Matt 5,12; Matt 22,6; Matt 23,34; Matt 23,37; Joh 10,31; Ap G 7,52; Ap G 7,59; 2.Kor 11,24; 1.Thess 2,15; Heb 11,36)36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. (Matt 22,4)37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ (1.Kong 21,19; Joh 1,11; Rom 8,17; Heb 1,2)39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. (Heb 13,12)40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (Matt 24,50; Matt 25,19)41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” (Matt 8,11; Matt 21,43; Luk 19,27; Ap G 13,46; Ap G 18,6; Ap G 28,28)42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;[4] this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Salm 118,22; Matt 21,16; Ap G 4,11; 1.Pet 2,7)43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (Es 5,4; Es 5,7; Matt 3,10; Luk 14,24)44And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”[5] (Es 8,14; Dan 2,34; Dan 2,44; Rom 9,32; 1.Pet 2,8)45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.46And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matt 21,11; Matt 21,26; Matt 26,4; Mark 11,18; Luk 19,47; Joh 7,25; Joh 7,30; Joh 7,44)