Chapter 20
1 On one of those days , as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News , the priests and scribes came to him with the elders .
2 They asked him , " Tell us : by what authority do you do these things ? Or who is giving you this authority ?"
3 He answered them , " I also will ask you one question . Tell me :
4 the baptism of John , was it from heaven , or from men ?"
5 They reasoned with themselves , saying , " If we say , ‘ From heaven ,’ he will say , ‘ Why didn’ t you believe him ?’
6 But if we say , ‘ From men ,’ all the people will stone us , for they are persuaded that John was a prophet ."
7 They answered that they didn’t know where it was from .
8 Jesus said to them , " Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things ."
9 He began to tell the people this parable : " A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time .
10 At the proper season , he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty .
11 He sent yet another servant , and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty .
12 He sent yet a third , and they also wounded him and threw him out .
13 The lord of the vineyard said , ‘ What shall I do ? I will send my beloved son . It may be that seeing him , they will respect him .’
14 " But when the farmers saw him , they reasoned among themselves , saying , ‘ This is the heir . Come , let ’s kill him , that the inheritance may be ours .’
15 Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him . What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them ?
16 He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others ." When they heard that , they said , " May that never be !"
17 But he looked at them and said , " Then what is this that is written , ‘ The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone ’?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces , but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust ."
19 The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour , but they feared the people — for they knew he had spoken this parable against them .
20 They watched him and sent out spies , who pretended to be righteous , that they might trap him in something he said , so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor .
21 They asked him , " Teacher , we know that you say and teach what is right , and aren’ t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God .
22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar , or not ?"
23 But he perceived their craftiness , and said to them , "Why do you test me ?
24 Show me a denarius . Whose image and inscription are on it ?" They answered , " Caesar ’ s ."
25 He said to them , " Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar ’s, and to God the things that are God ’s."
26 They weren’ t able to trap him in his words before the people . They marveled at his answer and were silent .
27 Some of the Sadducees came to him , those who deny that there is a resurrection.
28 They asked him , " Teacher , Moses wrote to us that if a man ’ s brother dies having a wife , and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
29 There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife , and died childless.
30 The second took her as wife, and he died childless.
31 The third took her , and likewise the seven all left no children , and died .
32 Afterward the woman also died .
33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be ? For the seven had her as a wife ."
34 Jesus said to them , " The children of this age marry and are given in marriage .
35 But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage .
36 For they can ’ t die any more , for they are like the angels and are children of God , being children of the resurrection.
37 But that the dead are raised , even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac , and the God of Jacob .’
38 Now he is not the God of the dead , but of the living , for all are alive to him."
39 Some of the scribes answered , " Teacher , you speak well ."
40 They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions .
41 He said to them , " Why do they say that the Christ is David ’s son ?
42 David himself says in the book of Psalms , ‘ The Lord said to my Lord , " Sit at my right hand ,
43 until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet ."’
44 " David therefore calls him Lord , so how is he his son ?"
45 In the hearing of all the people , he said to his disciples ,
46 " Beware of those scribes who like to walk in long robes , and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues , and the best places at feasts ;
47 who devour widows ’ houses , and for a pretense make long prayers . These will receive greater condemnation ."