20Verse 1Now it happened on one of those days, as He was teaching and evangelizing the people in the temple, that the priests+and scribes came to Him with the eldersVerse 2and addressed Him, saying, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things; or who is he who gave you this authority?”Verse 3But in answer He said to them: “I also will ask you one thing; yes, tell me:Verse 4the baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”Verse 5So they reasoned among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’Verse 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”Verse 7So they answered that they did not know where it was from.Verse 8And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”+
Parable of some perverse tenants
Verse 9Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to farmers, and went away on a long journey.Verse 10At the proper time he sent a slave to the farmers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers flogged him and sent him away empty-handed.Verse 11Again he sent a different slave; so they flogged him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.Verse 12And again he sent a third; but they wounded him also and threw him out.Verse 13Then the owner of the vineyard said: ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; hopefully they will respect him when they see him.’+Verse 14But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying: ‘This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, so that the inheritance may become ours.’Verse 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do to them?Verse 16He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” Having heard it they said, “May it never be!”Verse 17Then He looked directly at them and said: “What then is this that is written:‘A stone that the builders rejected,the same became the cornerstone’?+Verse 18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it should fall—it will crush him!”+Verse 19The chief priests and the scribes wanted to lay hands on Him right then, but they were afraid+—they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
To Caesar, Caesar's; to God, God's
Verse 20Keeping a close watch on Him, they sent spies, who pretended to be innocent, so that they might latch on to something He said, so as to hand Him over to the power and the authority of the governor.Verse 21So they questioned Him, saying: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and you do not show favoritism but teach the way of God in truth.+Verse 22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”Verse 23But He perceived their craftiness and said to them: “Why are you testing me?+Verse 24Show me a denarius—whose image and inscription does it have?” In answer they said, “Caesar's.”Verse 25So He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”Verse 26They were unable to latch on to His word in front of the people; and marveling at His answer they kept silent.
Sadducees deny resurrection
Verse 27Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, approached and questioned Him,Verse 28saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's married brother dies childless, then his brother should take the widow and produce offspring for his brother.Verse 29Now there were seven brothers: the first took a wife and died childless;Verse 30then the second took the widow and he died childless;+Verse 31then the third took her, in fact all seven in sequence—they all died childless.Verse 32Finally, last of all, the woman died also.Verse 33Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven had her?”+Verse 34So in answer Jesus said to them: “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage;Verse 35but those who are considered worthy+to attain to that age, to the resurrection from among the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage.Verse 36Because they cannot die anymore,+being like angels—they are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.Verse 37But that the dead are raised, Moses indeed revealed about the Bush when he recorded: ‘The Lord, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’+Verse 38So He is not the God of the dead, but of the living—to Him all are alive.”Verse 39Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, you spoke well.”Verse 40And they no longer dared to question Him further.
Is the Christ David's Son?
Verse 41Then He said to them: “How is it that they say that the Messiah+is David's Son?Verse 42Why David himself affirms in the book of Psalms,‘The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right handVerse 43until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’+Verse 44Since David calls Him ‘Lord’, how then is He his Son?”
Jesus denounces the scribes
Verse 45Then, in the hearing of the people, He said to His disciples:Verse 46“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;Verse 47who ‘devour’ widows' houses,+and for a show make long prayers. These will receive more severe judgment.”