said,' I tell you that, if these hold their peace, the stones will immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee," and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And he went into the temple, and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. 1 said unto them 2 should hold 3 stones would immediately a Comp. Lk. xxi. 20, etc.; Matt. xxiv. 2, etc.; Mar. xiii. 2, etc. CHAPTER XXI. THE FIG-TREE CURSED. THE TEMPLE CLEANSED. Second Day of the Week.-Monday. Matt. xxi.12-19. AND on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, as he returned into the city, he was hungry and seeing a fig tree in the way from afar off having leaves, he came, Lk. xix. 45–48; if haply he might find any thing thereon: xxi. 37, 38. and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for And his disciples heard it. And presently the ever. fig tree withered away. And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, and said3 unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?" but ye have made it a den of thieves.b And he taught daily in the temple. And the blind. 3 saying, 1 omit from 2 Jesus answered a Isa. lvi. 7. b Jer. vii. 11. and the lame came to him; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say! ? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were1 astonished at his doctrine [and] were very attentive to hear him. a And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany. And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. 1 the people was a Ps. viii. 2. CHAPTER XXII. Third and Fourth Days of the Week. - Tuesday and Wednesday. AND in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Matt. xxi. 20-22. when the disciples saw, they marvelled, Mar. xi. 20-25. saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this to the fig tree, but also whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what1 he saith shall come to pass; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto you, all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. a 3 And they come again to Jerusalem. And it came to 1 that those things which he saith 2 shall have whatsoever he saith. 3 Mar. xi. 26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. a Comp. Matt. vi. 14, 15; xviii. 35, etc. Matt. xxi 23-27. pass, on one of the days, as he taught the people and preached the gospel, as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief Lk. xx. 1-8. priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and said unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? And Jesus said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things: the baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet indeed." And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? . A man had two sons; "he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in the vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: afterward he repented, and went. He came to the other, and said likewise. Matt. xxi. 28-32. And he answered Whether of them They say,' The first. and said, I go, sir: and went not. twain did the will of his father? Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God For John came unto you in the way of before you. 1 those days 2 answered and said 3 twice and he came 6 to the second, and said a Matt. iii. 5, 6; xiv. 5, etc. |