The Authority of Jesus Challenged

1 ^dOne day, as Jesus¹ was teaching the people in the temple and ^epreaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what ^fauthority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you ^gnot believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a ^hprophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 ⁱAnd he began to tell the people this parable: ^j“A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and ^kwent into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant² to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^lBut the tenants ^mbeat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 ⁿThen the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^obeloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the ^pheir. Let us ^qkill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And 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 ^rgive the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

18 Everyone who ^ufalls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 ^vThe scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they ^wwatched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, ^xwe know that you speak and teach rightly, and ^yshow no partiality,⁴ but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give ^ztribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.⁵ Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then ^arender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to ^bcatch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

27 ^cThere came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a ^dresurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, ^eMoses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man⁶ must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the ^fresurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they ^gcannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are ^hsons of God, being sons⁷ of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, ⁱin the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord ^jthe God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for ^kall live to him.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 ^lBut he said to them, “How can they say that the ^mChrist is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

45 ^oAnd in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love ^pgreetings in the marketplaces and the ^qbest seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who ^rdevour widows’ houses and for a ^spretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.