THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

12 He began to speak to them in parables:ad “A man planted a vineyard,ae put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sentaf a servantag to the farmers to collect some of the fruitah of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beatai him, and sent him away empty-handed.aj 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and theyC hit him on the head and treated him shamefully.D 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a belovedak son. Finallyal he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the ownerE,am of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:an

Theao stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.ap

11 This came about from the Lordaq

and is wonderful in our eyes?”F

12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

GOD AND CAESAR

13 Thenar they sent some of the Phariseesas and the Herodiansat to Jesus to trap him in his words.au 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partialityav but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxesaw to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

15 But knowing their hypocrisy,ax he said to them, “Why are you testingay me? Bring me a denariusG,az to look at.” 16 They brought a coin. “Whose imageba and inscriptionbb is this?” he asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”bc And they were utterly amazedbd at him.

THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION

18 Sadducees,be who say there is no resurrection,bf came to him and questioned him: 19 “Teacher,a Mosesb wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child,c that man should take the wifed and raise up offspring for his brother.A,e 20 There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 None of the sevenB left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise,C whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”

24 Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scripturesf or the powerg of God?h 25 For when they risei from the dead,j they neither marry nor are given in marriagek but are like angelsl in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: Im am the God of Abrahamn and the God of Isaaco and the God of Jacob?D,p 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”

THE PRIMARY COMMANDS

28 Oneq of the scribesr approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

29 Jesus answered, “The most importantE is Listen, Israel! The Lords our God, the Lordt is one.F 30 Loveu the Lord your Godv with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,w and with all your strength.G,H,x 31 The second is, Love your neighbory as yourself.I,z There is no other commandaa greater than these.”

32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no oneab else except him.ac 33 And to lovead him with all your heart, with all your understanding,j and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”ae

34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”af And no one daredag to question him any longer.

THE QUESTION ABOUT THE MESSIAH

35 Whileah Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked,ai “How can the scribesaj say that the Messiahak is the son of David?al 36 Davidam himself says by the Holy Spirit:an

The Lordao declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right handap

until I put your enemies under your feet.’K,aq

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

WARNING AGAINST THE SCRIBES

38 Hear also said in his teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robesas and who want greetings in the marketplaces,at 39 the best seatsau in the synagogues,av and the places of honoraw at banquets.ax 40 They devouray widows’az houses and say long prayersba just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”

THE WIDOW’S GIFT

41 Sittingbb across from the temple treasury,bc he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many richbd people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poorbe widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples,bf he said to them, “Truly I tell you,bg this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.bh 44 For they all gave out of their surplus,bi but she out of her povertybj has put in everything she hadbk—all she had to live on.”bl