Top of Page
Page Style
as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, came up 2 and said to Him, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is it that gave You this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 the baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men?”
5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men’, all of the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some farmers, and went to another country for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 Then he sent a third, but this one they also wounded and threw him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him’.
14 “But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, so the inheritance will be ours’. 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”
17 But Jesus looked at them and asked, “What then is the meaning of that which is written:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but when it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder.”
19 The scribes and the chief priests wanted to lay their hands on Him that very hour, because they knew He had told this parable against them, but they were afraid of the people.
20 They watched Jesus closely and sent spies who pretended to be honest men. They hoped that they might catch Him in something He said and hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You do not show any partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
23 But He saw through their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 They were not able to trap Jesus with what He said in the presence of the people. But being astonished with His answer, they became silent.
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to Him with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 Then the second married her, and he died childless, 31 and the third married her, and likewise all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven were married to her.”
34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses indicated in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’. 38 He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him.”
39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 And no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
41 Then Jesus said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42 For David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.” ’
44 “David calls Him ‘Lord’, so how is He then his Son?”
45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to His disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted in the marketplaces, and to have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the most severe condemnation.”