The chief priests and the teachers of the law came up to him. The elders came with them. ²“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they all said. “Who gave you this authority?”

³Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from men?”

⁵They talked to each other about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will throw stones at us and kill us. They believe that John was a prophet.”

⁷So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know where John’s baptism came from.”

⁸Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.”

The Story of the Renters

⁹Jesus went on to tell the people a story. “A man planted a vineyard,” he said. “He rented it out to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time.

¹⁰“At harvest time he sent a servant to the renters. They were supposed to give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the renters beat the servant. Then they sent him away with nothing. ¹¹So the man sent another servant. They beat that one and treated him badly. They also sent him away with nothing. ¹²The man sent a third servant. The renters wounded him and threw him out.

¹³“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I have a son, and I love him. I will send him. Maybe they will respect him.’

¹⁴“But when the renters saw the son, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard. And they killed him.

“What will the owner of the vineyard do to the renters? ¹⁶He will come and kill them. He will give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “We hope this never happens!”

¹⁷Jesus looked right at them and said, “Here is something I want you to explain the meaning of. It is written,

“ ‘The stone the builders didn’t accept

has become the most important stone of all.’

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”

¹⁹The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Jesus at once. They knew he had told that story against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Is It Right to Pay Taxes to Caesar?

²⁰The religious leaders sent spies to keep a close watch on Jesus. The spies pretended to be honest. They hoped they could trap Jesus with something he would say. Then they could hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.

²¹So the spies questioned Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right. We know you don’t favor one person over another. You teach the way of God truthfully. ²²Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³Jesus saw they were trying to trick him. So he said to them, ²⁴“Show me a silver coin. Whose picture and words are on it?”

²⁵“Caesar’s,” they replied.

He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give to God what belongs to God.”

²⁶They were not able to trap him with what he had said there in front of all the people. Amazed by his answer, they became silent.

Read in Logos

Luke 20:25: He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”