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12
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a fence around it, dug a wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers, and went on a journey. 2 And at harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers, in order that he might receive his part from the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, and that one they wounded in the head with stones, and they sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and that one they killed, and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he even sent him to them last, saying, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 7 But those farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And taking him they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and will destroy the farmers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
11 This was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they sought to lay hold of Him, but they feared the crowd, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them. And leaving Him, they went away.
The Question about Paying Taxes
13 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, in order that they might catch Him in His discourse. 14 And they came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and it does not make a difference to you about anyone; for You do not look on the face of men, but you teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Should we give, or should we not give?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius, that I may see it.” 16 So they brought one.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar's.”
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at Him.
The Question about the Resurrection
18 Then some Sadducees came to Him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked Him, saying: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and he died, and left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they shall arise, whose wife of them will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For whenever they rise from among the dead, neither do they marry nor are they given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven. 26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in connection with the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore you are greatly mistaken.”
The First Commandment
28 Then one of the scribes came, after he heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.’ 30 ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher, in truth You said that He is one, and there is no other besides Him. 33 And to love Him with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
And no one dared any longer to question Him.
The Question about David's Son
35 Then Jesus answered and said, as He was teaching in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’
37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then is He his son?”
And the large crowd was hearing Him gladly.
Jesus Denounces the Scribes
38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Take heed of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and like greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and the first seats in the synagogues, and the first couches at the suppers; 40 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow's Offering
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and was observing how the crowd was putting money into the treasury. And many rich people were putting in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and put in two lepta, which equals a quadrans. 43 And having summoned His disciples, He said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who are putting into the treasury. 44 For they all put in out of their excess, but this woman, out of her destitution, put in everything she had, her whole livelihood.”

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© 2014 Dr. Paul W. Esposito