Jesus’ Authority Questioned

20 On one of the days, as Jesus was instructing the people in the temple [area] and preaching the good news (gospel), ^[a]the chief priests and the scribes along with the elders confronted Him,^{(A) 2} and said to Him, “Tell us by what kind of authority You are doing these things? Or who is the one who gave You this authority?” ³ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. You tell Me: ⁴ The baptism of John [the Baptist]—was it from heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?” ⁵ They discussed and debated it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are firmly convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they replied that they did not know from where it came. ⁸ Then Jesus said to them, “Nor am I telling you by what [kind of] authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Vineyard Owner

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time [to another country].^{(B) 10} At harvest time he sent a servant [as his representative] to the tenants, so that they would give him his share of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ So he again sent another servant; they also beat him and dishonored and treated him disgracefully and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he sent yet a third; and this one too they wounded and threw out [of the vineyard]. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will have respect for him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves, saying, ‘This [man] is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and put these tenants to death and will give the vineyard to others.” When the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders heard this, they said, “May it never be!” ¹⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is [the meaning of] this that is written:

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken and shattered in pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”^(D)

Tribute to Caesar

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests tried to [find a way to] arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people; because they understood that He spoke this parable against them. ²⁰ So they watched [for a chance to trap] Him. They sent spies who pretended to be upright and sincere, in order that they might catch Him in some statement [that they could distort and use against Him], so that they could turn Him over to the control and authority of [Pilate] the governor.^{(E) 21} They asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and that You show no partiality to anyone, but teach the way of God truthfully. ²² Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] for us to pay taxes (tribute money) to ^[b]Caesar or not?” ²³ But He saw through their trickery and said to them, ²⁴ “Show Me a [Roman] denarius. Whose image and inscription does the coin have?” They answered, “[the Emperor Tiberius] Caesar’s.” ²⁵ He said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ They were not able to seize on anything He said in the presence of the people; and being unnerved at His reply, they were silent.