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譯本參照AFV  A  Faithful Version 的希臘文 2009版本

18. Now early in the morning, as He was coming back into the city, He hungered;

19. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came up to it, but found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, “Let there never again be fruit from you forever.” And immediately the fig tree dried up.

20. And after seeing it, the disciples were amazed, saying, “How quickly the fig tree has dried up!”

21. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only shall you do the miracle of the fig tree, but even if you shall say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it shall come to pass.

22. And everything that you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

23. Now when He entered the temple and was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him, saying, “By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority?”

24. And Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

25. The baptism of John, where did it come from? From heaven, or from men?” Then they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

26. But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude; for everyone holds John as a prophet.”

27. And they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” He said to them also, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

28. But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first one and said, ‘Son, go work in my vineyard today.’

29. And he answered and said, ‘I will not’; but afterwards he repented and went.

30. Then he came to the second son and said the same thing. And he answered and said, ‘Sir, I will go‘; but he did not go.

31. Which of the two did the will of the father?” They said to Him, “The first one.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you truly, the tax collectors and the harlots are going into the kingdom of God before you.

32. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him. Yet you, after seeing this, did not afterwards repent and believe him.

 (A Faithful Version)

18. 在伯大尼一宿無話，一早起來，耶穌回到城裡，路上感到飢餓。

19. 見路旁一棵無花果樹，便上前，發現樹上只有葉子。便對樹直言：不再能結果子。那無花果樹就枯了。

20. 門徒親見所看，驚訝地說：無花果樹就這麼枯了！

21. 耶穌回應：實在告訴你們，若信心不疑惑，不單對對無花果樹行出奇事，對這山說，挪到海裡，也是可以。

22. 在禱告當中，不論要求什麼，信，就能得著。

23. 到了耶路撒冷，耶穌進入外殿，正教導時，祭司長和長老，迎他而來，問：你有什麼資格在此作教導？這權柄誰給的？

24. 耶穌回問：我也想問一事，若能告知，就會說出這權柄從何而來。

25. 要問的，是約翰施行的水禮，這權柄從何而來？從天上來，還是從人間來？這些到來質問的用理性的分析：若說是從天上來，耶穌必問：既然如此，為什麼不信？

26. 若說從人，這些民眾就會認為約翰是先知。

27. 於是，這些人以此回應：不知道。耶穌回覆：我也不知道憑什麼權柄。

28. 耶穌反問這些到來質問的，看他們有何意見，於是說：人有兩個兒子，這人問大兒子：兒子，今天到葡萄園去作工。

29. 大兒子回說：不去。後來感到後悔，就靜靜地去了。

30. 這人又去問小兒子，說同樣的話。小兒子回說：我去。卻沒有去。

31. 他兩個兒子，哪一個履行父親的吩咐？這些來質問耶穌的回答說：是大兒子。耶穌便對他們說：實在告訴你們，那些稅吏和作娼妓的，倒比你們更先明白彌賽亞國度的意義。

32.施水禮的約翰，持公義到你們當中，你們不信，稅吏和娼妓倒信。這些事你們都知道，如今還是不願悔改，相信。

這段描述看來都有比喻的成份，無花果樹是信心的比喻。因信心說的和做的，當中都帶著對信心的權威何來，這是不可避免的，答案也明顯：信。如何知道這人是真信或是假的，就看這人是說的還是在常當中行出來去說明。

這段的三個情景，似乎都在說一個觀念：信心如何落實，落實又說明什麼。

無花果樹：以色列的地理環境是無水之地，樹本要生存不是容易的事。面對有樹缺水也許是常見，並不構成不是事實。最大可能是耶穌選擇一顆快枯的作此比喻。無花果是可以在熱酷天氣下生存，只要有水。小水只有葉子，缺水就會死亡。

人的權威來自1. 地位，是打併出來。2.口才，是博學得來。這是當日社會當中的精英份子，有一種不明顯卻有權勢的是擁有大量金錢，只是這類別的人不愛出風頭。耶穌當日面對的是前二者。耶穌的權威有別出他們，是因為信心，並不是用地位和口才去建立，而是 [真心相信] 。對那些有權有地位的人而言，信心，是不理解。因為他們的成就是打拼得很用力爭取得來，得來不易，就不容易放棄。他們的信心，來自個人的努力。跟信仰的要求，用心靈誠實直觀的方式不同。這些自力更新的，就無從去理解信仰中言及的 [相信] 所隱含的內容。

耶穌深明其異，就不去費太多唇舌。

對於一般人如何分別出人對信仰持信心這樣的態度？只有從行為當中作出，因為有二種不同的信心，一種是自力更新，一種是心靈洗淨；一種是力爭上游，一種是互重互讓。這分別是可以從行為當中，不能掩飾收藏的事實。可惜許多人只聽不睇。

耶穌常說：有耳可聽，就多的聽！意思是聽多的耶穌說，睇多的人的行為，從比較當中認清事實真相。