Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage on the mount of Olives. He sent two of them ahead, saying, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, along with her colt; untie them and bring them to me." If anyone says anything to you, tell them the Lord needs them, and they'll send them right away. All this was done so it would be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet, saying, "Behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Tell the people of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek and riding on an ass with its foal.

The disciples went and did as Jesus had commanded them. They brought the donkey and its foal, put their garments on them, and set Jesus on them. A very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees and strewed them along the road. The multitudes that went before and followed cried out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" When Jesus came into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, asking, "Who is this?" The multitude said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of thieves." The blind and the lame came to him in the temple; he healed them. When the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things Jesus did, and the children crying in the temple, saying "Hosanna to the son of David," they were deeply displeased.

They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these are saying?" He replied, "Yes; have you never read that from the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have brought praise." And he left them, going out of the city into Bethany, where he lodged. As he returned to the city in the morning, he was hungry. When he saw a fig tree in his path, Jesus came to it but found only leaves; and he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the fig tree withered away.

The disciples were amazed when they saw it, saying, "How quickly the fig tree has withered away!" Jesus replied, "I assure you that if you have faith and do not doubt, you will say to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea,' and it will be done. And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." When he came into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people approached him as he was teaching. They asked, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

Jesus replied, "I too will ask you one thing: if you tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things." They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say it came from heaven, he'll ask us why we didn't believe John. But if we say it was from men, we fear the people because all regard John as a prophet." They answered Jesus, saying, "We cannot tell," and he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

A certain man had two sons; he came to the first and said, "Son, go work today in my vineyard." The son replied, "I will not," but later repented and went. He did the same thing with the second servant, but that one replied, "I will go, sir," yet did nothing. Jesus asked them, "Which of these two sons did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Then Jesus said, "The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you."

John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you didn't believe him; instead, publicans and harlots believed him. When you saw it, you still refused to change your minds so as to believe him. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard, hedged it around, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and let it out to tenant farmers, then went into a far country. When the time came for the harvest, he sent his servants to collect its fruit.

The husbandmen took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: but they did unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, "They will respect my son." When the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance." They caught him and cast him out of the vineyard, then killed him.

When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? They said to him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men and let out his vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the produce in their seasons." Jesus replied, "Did you never read in Scripture that the stone the builders rejected has become the head of the corner? It is a stumbling block to many. The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed, but it will grind anyone to powder whom it falls upon. When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard Jesus' parables, they realized he was speaking about them. They tried to arrest him, but they were intimidated by the crowd because they took him for a prophet.