38 As
he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to
walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and
have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make
lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him
with a question.19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if
a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the
widow and raise up offspring for his brother.20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one
married and died without leaving any children.21 The second one married the widow, but he also
died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third.22 In fact, none of the seven
left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.23 At the resurrection[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven
were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are
you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?25 When the
dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like
the angels in heaven.26 Now
about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of
the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[d]?27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
You are badly mistaken!”
13 Later
they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his
words.14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that
you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no
attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not?15 Should we pay or shouldn’t
we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”16 They
brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is
this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it,
dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard
to some farmers and moved to another place.2 At harvest time he sent a
servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.3 But they seized him,
beat him and sent him away empty-handed.4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck
this man on the head and treated him shamefully.5 He sent still another, and that one they killed.
He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of
all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s
kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’8 So they
took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill
those tenants and give the vineyard to others.10 Haven’t
you read this passage of Scripture:
“‘The stone the builders
rejected has
become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and
it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders
looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable
against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
