Luke 20:9–19

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

9 *Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, let it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16“He will come and kill those men, and hand the vineyard over to other tenants.” When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

17 *Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.’

18Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, it will crush him to dust.”

The Question about Paying Taxes

(Matt 22:15–22; Mark 12:13–17)

19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people.