Mark 11 - First Nations Version

PREPARATION FOR HIS GRAND ENTRY

¹ Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers came to the foot of Olive Mountain at House of Figs (Bethany) and House of Unripe Figs (Bethphage) near Village of Peace (Jerusalem). From there he sent out two of his followers.

² “Go on into the village just ahead of us,” he instructed them. “Right when you enter the village, you will see a donkey colt that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.

³ If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say to them, ‘Our Wisdom- keeper is in need of this donkey and will soon return it.’”

⁴ His followers went where they were told, found a colt tied by a gate near the village pathway, and untied it.

⁵ Some of the people standing nearby said to them, “What are you doing untying that colt?”

⁶ They answered them just as their Wisdomkeeper had instructed, so they were permitted to go.

⁷ They brought the young donkey to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and laid their deer skins and Pendleton blankets on the colt, and then he sat down upon it.

GRAND ENTRY

⁸ A crowd gathered around, and some of them laid their buffalo robes on the road, while others spread out branches with large leaves they had cut from the fields. The people were hoping he would be a mighty warrior chief, like their ancestor Much Loved One (David), to set them free from the People of Iron (Romans). But he did not ride a warhorse on that day, as one might expect. Instead, he rode a small, humble donkey colt. He came weeping over the Village of Peace (Jerusalem), but even this could not silence the hopes of the crowd.

⁹ The people encircled him, front and back. “Hosanna! Set us free!” they shouted.

¹⁰ “Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit! The good road of our ancestor Much Loved One (David) has arrived! Hosanna, to the One Above Us All!”

¹¹ Creator Sets Free (Jesus) rode into Village of Peace (Jerusalem) until he came to the sacred lodge. He went into the lodge and looked around at everything—then he left. It was time for the sun to set, so he returned to House of Figs (Bethany), along with his twelve followers, to the place where they were lodging.

THE FIG TREE WITHOUT FRUIT

¹² The next day, as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was returning to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) from House of Figs (Bethany), he became hungry.

¹³ He saw a fig tree with leaves on it in the distance and went to see whether he might find some figs on it. But when he came to the tree, he found only leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴ He responded by speaking to the tree, “No one will eat fruit from you ever again!” And his followers heard what he said.

SACRED LODGE KEEPER

¹⁵ They went into Village of Peace (Jerusalem) through the village gate, made their way through the crowded pathways, and went straight to Creator’s sacred lodge. He came to the area called Gathering Place for the Nations. It was here that other nations could come to learn about the Great Spirit and his ways. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) entered the lodge and began to force out the ones who were selling and buying the ceremonial animals. He turned over the benches and tables of those who were selling the doves

¹⁶ and blocked the way of the ones who were carrying trading goods through the lodge.

¹⁷ “It is written in the sacred teachings,” he instructed them, “‘My lodge will be called a House of Prayer for all Nations.’” Then his voice rose like the sound of thunder, “‘But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!’”

¹⁸ The head holy men and the scroll keepers heard about what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had said and done. They began to counsel together about how they could kill him, for they feared his reputation among the many people who respected his teachings.

¹⁹ When the sun began to set, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers left the village to return to where they were lodging.

²⁰ In the morning, as they were walking on their way to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

²¹ Stands on the Rock (Peter) remembered that it was the same tree Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had spoken against. “Wisdomkeeper!” he said. “Look, the fig tree you spoke against has dried up from the roots!”

²² “You must put all your trust in the Great Spirit,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) replied.

²³ “I speak from my heart. Anyone who says to this mountain, ‘Lift up and go into the great waters,’ with a heart that believes and does not doubt that what he says will happen, then it will be done.

²⁴ That is why I say that when you send your voice to the Great Spirit, believe that he has heard you and the answer will come.

²⁵ “In the same way, when you stand and pray and there remember you have something against another, release them from the wrong they have done, so that your Father from above will also release you from the wrongs you have done.”

SPIRITUAL LEADERS CHALLENGE HIM

²⁷ Creator Sets Free (Jesus) returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and was walking about in the sacred lodge. The head holy men and the scroll keepers came to him, along with some of the tribal elders.

²⁸ “By what right do you do these things?” they challenged. “Who gave you this right?”

²⁹ “I will give you one question to answer. If you answer me, then I will answer you.

³⁰ The purification ceremony performed by Gift of Goodwill (John), was it from the spirit-world above, or did it come from human beings?” The spiritual leaders looked at each other. They could not decide on how to answer him. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood before them and held his ground. “Answer me!” he challenged back.

³¹ So they put their heads together and talked it over. “We cannot say, ‘From the spirit-world above,’ for then he will say, ‘Why did you not listen to him?’

³² But neither can we say, ‘From human beings,’ for the people honor Gift of Goodwill (John) as a prophet.”

³³ They feared the people, so they said, “We do not know.” “So then, I will not answer your question,” he said to them, “and tell you by what right I do these things.”