The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
1 He w began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, x put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent y a servant z to the farmers to collect some of the fruit a of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beat b him, and sent him away empty-handed. c 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and they T hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. U 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a beloved d son. Finally e he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner V,f of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture: g
The h stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone. i
11 This came about from the Lord j
and is wonderful in our eyes? ” W
12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.
God and Caesar
13 Then k they sent some of the Pharisees l and the Herodians m to Jesus to trap him in his words. n 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality o but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes p to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? ”
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, q he said to them, “Why are you testing r me? Bring me a denarius X,s to look at.” 16 They brought a coin. “Whose image t and inscription u is this? ” he asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” v And they were utterly amazed w at him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 Sadducees, x who say there is no resurrection, y came to him and questioned him: 19 “Teacher, z Moses a wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child, b that man should take the wife c and raise up offspring for his brother. Y,d 20 There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 None of the seven Z left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, A whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? ”
24 Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures e or the power f of God? g 25 For when they rise h from the dead, i they neither marry nor are given in marriage j but are like angels k in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I l am the God of Abraham m and the God of Isaac n and the God of Jacob? B,o 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”
The Primary Commands
28 One p of the scribes q approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all? ”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important C is Listen, O Israel! The Lord r our God, the Lord s is one. D 30 Love t the Lord your God u with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, v and with all your strength. E,F,w 31 The second is, Love your neighbor x as yourself. G,y There is no other command z greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one a else except him. b 33 And to love c him with all your heart, with all your understanding, H and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” d
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” e And no one dared f to question him any longer.
The Question about the Christ
35 While g Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked, h “How can the scribes i say that the Messiah j is the son of David? k 36 David l himself says by the Holy Spirit: m
The Lord n declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand o
until I put your enemies under your feet.’ I,p
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord’; how then can he be his son? ” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
Warning against the Scribes
38 He q also said in his teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes r and who want greetings in the marketplaces, s 39 the best seats t in the synagogues, u and the places of honor v at banquets. w 40 They devour x widows’ y houses and say long prayers z just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”
The Widow’s Gift
41 Sitting a across from the temple treasury, b he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich c people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poor d widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples, e he said to them, “Truly I tell you, f this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. g 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, h but she out of her poverty i has put in everything she had j—all she had to live on.” k