20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

[MT 21:]21 “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”

[MK 11:]24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

37 Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38 and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

[MK 11:]27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts {teaching the people and preaching the gospel,LK} the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.

28 “{Tell usLK} By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will {alsoMT, LK} ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!”

25 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men’—we are afraid of the people {[that they] will stone us,LK} for they all hold that John {reallyMK} was a prophet.”

27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. {So they left him and went away.MK}

[MT 22:]34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.

[MK 12:]28 One of the teachers {expertsMT} of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

The lawyer’s question was a common debate among the Pharisees. With six hundred and thirteen OT commands and innumerable oral traditions, the answer is not a simple one. We should also note that this is not the first time Jesus has been asked this question. One day a lawyer came to Jesus and asked him “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus turned the question back on him by asking, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answered by citing these same two commands. This became the springboard into the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25–37; § 103). Hence, neither the question nor Jesus’ answer is new.

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

38 “This is the first and greatest commandment.”

31 “The second is this {like it:MT} ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

40 “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. {As he looked upLK} Many rich people threw in large amounts.

42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.b

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. {“Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!MK} {adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.”LK}

2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, {the time will come whenLK} not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives {opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew,MK} the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

[MT 24:]32 “Now learn this lesson {parableLK} from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

33 Even so, when you see all these things {happening,MK} {stand up and lift up your heads, becauseLK} you know that it {your redemptionLK} is near, right at the door.

34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”