Matthew 21:18-27

Now early in the morning, as Jesus was coming back to the city, He was hungry. [Mark 11:12-14, 20-24] Seeing a lone fig tree at the roadside, He went to it and found nothing but leaves on it; and He said to it, “Never again will fruit come from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw it, they were astonished and asked, “How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once?” Jesus replied to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen [if God wills it]. [1 John 5:14] And whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.” When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what [kind of] authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority [to exercise this power]?” [Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8] Jesus replied to them, “I will also ask you a question, and if you tell Me the answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?” And they began debating among themselves [considering the implications of their answer], saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe John?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the [response of the] crowd; for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what [kind of]authority I do these things.”