Jesus comments on the Jews’ refusal to believe Him, then He curses a fruitless fig tree, clears out money changers and improper sacrifices from the Temple, and heals more people, which excites the local children; the next day, the disciples notice the tree has withered; some days later, the Pharisees ask Jesus where He gets His authority from: John 12:37–50; Mark 11:12–14; Matthew 21:18–22; Mark 11:15–19; Matthew 21:12–17; Luke 19:45–48; Mark 11:20–33; Matthew 21:23–27; Luke 20:1–8

Jesus’ clearing of the Temple wasn’t directly opposed at the time: there’s no record of the stallholders reacting with anger or violence, of soldiers arresting Jesus for disrupting the peace, or of the priests and elders telling Him to stop. But the religious leadership wasn’t happy:

^{Mark 11:18} When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

When He’d finished with the Temple, Jesus healed the blind and the lame, which brought some praise from the local children. Now the Temple leaders protested publicly: did Jesus know children called Him the ‘Son of David’?:

^{Matthew 21:16} Yes. Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’