THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED

23 When he entered the temple,k the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”l

24 Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’m 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd,n because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”o 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’p

29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness,q and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.

THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

33 “Listenr to another parable:s There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.t He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.u 34 When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit. 35 The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.v 36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’w 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”a