- The Authority of Jesus Questioned
- 1
- One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts
- and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,
- together with the elders, came up to him.
- 2
- "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said.
- "Who gave you this authority?"
- 3
- He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me,
- 4
- John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men?"
- 5
- They discussed it among themselves and said,
- "If we say, `From heaven,' he will ask, `Why didn't you believe him?'
- 6
- But if we say, `From men,' all the people will stone us,
- because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."
- 7
- So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."
- 8
- Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
- 9
- He went on to tell the people this parable:
- "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers
- and went away for a long time.
- 10
- At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants
- so 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 that one also they beat
- and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.
- 12
- He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
- 13
- "Then the owner of the vineyard said, `What shall I do?
- I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'
- 14
- "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over.
- `This is the heir,' they said. `Let's kill him, and 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 kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others."
- When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!"
- 17
- Jesus looked directly at them and asked,
- "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
- "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'?
- 18
- Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces,
- but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
- 19
- The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him
- immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them.
- But they were afraid of the people.
- 20
- Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest.
- They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said
- so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
- 21
- So the spies questioned him:
- "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right,
- and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God
- in accordance with the truth.
- 22
- Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
- 23
- He saw through their duplicity and said to them,
- 24"Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"
- 25
- "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them,
- "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
- 26
- They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public.
- And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
- 27
- Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
- came to Jesus with a question.
- 28
- "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that
- if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children,
- the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.
- 29
- Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.
- 30
- The second
- 31
- and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died,
- leaving no children.
- 32
- Finally, the woman died too.
- 33
- Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be,
- since the seven were married to her?"
- 34
- Jesus replied, "The people 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 will neither marry nor be given in marriage,
- 36
- and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels.
- They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.
- 37
- But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise,
- for he calls the Lord `the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
- and the God of Jacob.'
- 38
- He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
- 39
- Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!"
- 40
- And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
- 41
- Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David?
- 42
- 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.' How then can he be his son?"
- 45
- While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples,
- 46
- "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around
- in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces
- and have the most important seats in the synagogues
- and the places of honor at banquets.
- 47
- They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.
- Such men will be punished most severely."