Matthew 21:12-20

And Jesus entered the temple [grounds] and drove out [with force] all who were buying and selling [birds and animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and He turned over the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the chairs of those who were selling doves [for sacrifice]. [Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-47; John 2:14-16] Jesus said to them, “It is written [in Scripture], ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” [Is 56:7; Jer 7:11] And the blind and the lame came to Him in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple area, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful and miraculous things that Jesus had done, and heard the boys who were shouting in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple [in praise and adoration], “Hosanna to the Son of David (the Messiah),” they became indignant and they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus replied to them, “Yes; have you never read [in the Scripture], ‘OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED and PROVIDED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?” [Ps 8:2] Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. 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?”