Mark 1111MarkJerusalemunfoldingWord® Simplified Text

unfoldingWord® Simplified TextBerean Standard Bible

1. The Triumphal Entry

   (Zechariah 9:9–13; Matthew 21:1–11; Luke 19:28–40; John 12:12–19)

2. 1USTAfter that, Jesus and his apprentices continued to walk toward the city of Jerusalem, and they were getting closer. They were near the Mount of Olives, just outside the villages of Bethphage and Bethany. Jesus told two of his apprentices to go{ ahead of them}.BSBBSB: As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples
3. 2USTHe instructed them,“Enter the village{ of Bethphage}, which you see ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey that someone has tethered. It is an animal that no one has ever ridden. Remove the tether{ from the young donkey} and lead it to me here.BSBBSB: and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
4. 3USTPeople might ask you,‘What are you doing?’ In that case, tell them,‘The Lord needs this young donkey. As soon as{ he finishes using it}, he will return it here.’”BSBBSB: If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it shortly.’”
5. 4USTSo the two apprentices left{ for the village}. They saw the young donkey standing on the road. Someone had tethered it to the door of a house. They started to remove its tether.BSBBSB: So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. They untied it,
6. 5USTSome people who were there asked the two apprentices,“Why are you removing the tether from the young donkey?”BSBBSB: and some who were standing there asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
7. 6USTThe two apprentices told those people what Jesus had instructed them to say. Then, those people allowed the two apprentices{ to take the young donkey}.BSBBSB: The disciples answered as Jesus had instructed them, and the people gave them permission.
8. 7USTThey led the young donkey to Jesus. Then they spread their coats on the young donkey, and Jesus rode on it.BSBBSB: Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.
9. 8USTThen,{ to honor Jesus,} many people laid their coats down on the path{ in front of Jesus}. Other people cut down leafy plants that were growing in nearby farms{ and laid them down on the path too}.BSBBSB: Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields.
10. 9USTPeople walked in front of Jesus and behind him. They were shouting,“Praise God! May God bless him who is here to represent the Lord!BSBBSB: The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
11. 10USTThe kingdom that our ancestor King David ruled is now here again! May God bless it! May everything in heaven praise God!”BSBBSB: “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
12. 11USTThen Jesus went into the city of Jerusalem and he visited the temple area. He examined everything that was there. After that, because it was evening, he and his 12 representatives returned to the village of Bethany.BSBBSB: Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

13. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

    (Matthew 21:18–22; Mark 11:20–25)

14. 12USTThe following day, when Jesus and his apprentices were leaving the village of Bethany, Jesus became hungry.BSBBSB: The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
15. 13USTHe saw a fig tree further down the path. It had leaves, so he walked to it to pick some figs from it{ to eat}. However, when he arrived at the fig tree, it had{ no figs but} only leaves. That was because it was not yet the normal time of year when fig trees would produce ripe figs.BSBBSB: Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs.
16. 14USTJesus responded by saying to the fig tree,“No one will eat figs that they pick from you ever again.” The apprentices listened{ to him say that}.BSBBSB: Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

17. Jesus Cleanses the Temple

    (Matthew 21:12–17; Luke 19:45–48; John 2:12–25)

18. 15USTThen Jesus and his apprentices arrived at the city of Jerusalem. Jesus again visited the temple area. Some people were selling and buying things there. He started to force them to leave. Other people were exchanging{ regular} money{ for special temple money}, and other people were selling small birds{ for people to sacrifice}. Jesus flipped over their tables and chairs.BSBBSB: When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
19. 16USTAlso, he did not allow people to take items through the temple area.BSBBSB: And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
20. 17USTThen Jesus instructed those people,“You know that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures,‘People should say that my temple is a place where all groups of people pray.’ However, you have turned it into‘a hideout for thieves’!”BSBBSB: Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
21. 18USTWhat Jesus taught impressed the large group of people. Because of that, when the ruling priests and the teachers of the Jewish law learned{ what Jesus had said and done}, they became afraid of him. So, they planned how they might have someone execute Jesus.BSBBSB: When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
22. 19USTThat evening, Jesus and his apprentices left the city{ of Jerusalem and again spent the night in the village of Bethany}.BSBBSB: And when evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city.

23. The Withered Fig Tree

    (Matthew 21:18–22; Mark 11:12–14)

24. 20USTThe next morning, Jesus and his apprentices walked past{ the same fig tree that they had passed the previous morning}. The apprentices noticed that it had completely died.BSBBSB: As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.
25. 21USTThen Peter remembered{ what Jesus had said to the fig tree}. He told Jesus,“Teacher, look! The fig tree that you cursed has died!”BSBBSB: Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”
26. 22USTJesus replied by telling his apprentices,“You should trust God!BSBBSB: “Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them.
27. 23USTSuppose that you trusted that{ God} would do what you said, and you were not unsure{ that God would do it}. Then, you could tell the hill we are near to leave{ this place} and fall into the ocean, and it would happen. What I have said is true.BSBBSB: “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.
28. 24USTBecause that is true, here is what I want to tell you. Trust that God will give you whatever you ask him for, and he will give it to you.BSBBSB: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
29. 25USTFurther, suppose that when you are praying, you remember that someone has offended you. You should forgive them. That way, God your Father, who rules from heaven, will also forgive you when you sin against him.BSBBSB: And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
30. 26USTHowever, God your Father, who rules from heaven, will not forgive you when you sin against him as long as you do not forgive{ other people}.”BSBBSB: Not in the BSB
    Not in the earliest manuscripts

31. Jesus’ Authority Challenged

    (Matthew 21:23–27; Luke 20:1–8)

32. 27USTAfter that, Jesus and his apprentices again arrived at the city of Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking around in the temple area, some of the ruling priests, the teachers of the Jewish law, and the other Jewish leaders approached him.BSBBSB: After their return to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him.
33. 28USTThey asked him,“In what way did someone authorize you to do what you have done? Who was it that authorized you to do those things?”BSBBSB: “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?”
34. 29USTJesus replied,“I, too, will ask you a question. When you answer it, I will answer your question about the way in which someone authorized me to do what I have done.BSBBSB: “I will ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
35. 30USTDid God authorize John the Baptizer from heaven to baptize people, or did people authorize{ him to do that}? Answer that question!”BSBBSB: John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”
36. 31USTThen the ruling priests, the teachers of the Jewish law, and the other Jewish leaders told each other,“Suppose that we answer that{ God authorized John} from heaven. Then, he will tell us that we should have listened to John.BSBBSB: They deliberated among themselves what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
37. 32USTOn the other hand, we cannot answer that people{ authorized John}.”{ They said that because they knew that} the large group of people believed that John had truly spoken for God, which made them afraid of how the large group of people would react.BSBBSB: But if we say, ‘From men’...” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet.
38. 33USTSo they answered Jesus,“We do not know{ who authorized John}.” Jesus responded,“Because you did not answer my question, I will not tell you the way in which someone authorized me to do what I have done.”BSBBSB: So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”