Authority Challenged

23 (A)When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him (B)while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 But Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one [a]question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?” And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the [b]people; for they all regard John as (C)a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.

Parable of Two Sons

28 “But what do you think? A man had two [c]sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘[d]Son, go work today in the (D)vineyard.’ 29 But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. 30 And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that (E)the tax collectors and prostitutes [e]will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but (F)the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even [f]have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.

Parable of the Landowner

33 “Listen to another parable. (G)There was a [g]landowner who (H)planted a (I)vineyard and put a [h]fence around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and he leased it to [i]vine-growers and (J)went on a journey. 34 And when the [j]harvest time approached, he (K)sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his fruit. 35 And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he (L)sent other slaves, more than the first; and they did the same things to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him and take possession of his inheritance!’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, when the [k]owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They *said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and (M)lease the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the fruit in the proper seasons.”

42 Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

(N)A stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the [l]chief cornerstone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a [m]people producing its fruit. 44 And (O)the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 And although they sought to arrest Him, they (P)feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a (Q)prophet.

Parable of the Marriage Feast

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, (R)The kingdom of heaven [n]is like [o]a king who [p]held a (S)wedding feast for his son. And he (T)sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he (U)sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ But they paid no attention and went their separate ways, one to his own [q]farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and treated them abusively, and then killed them. Now the king was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to (V)the main roads, and invite whomever you find there to the wedding feast.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding hall was filled with [r]dinner guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look over the [s]dinner guests, he saw (W)a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘(X)Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into (Y)the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’ 14 For many are [t](Z)called, but few are (AA)chosen.”

Poll-tax to Caesar

15 (AB)Then the Pharisees went and [u]plotted together how they might trap Him [v]in what He said. 16 And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the (AC)Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and [w]do not care what anyone thinks; for You [x]are not partial to anyone. 17 Tell us then, what do You think? Is it [y]permissible to pay a [z](AD)poll-tax to (AE)Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus perceived their [aa]malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the (AF)coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a [ab]denarius. 20 And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21 They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, (AG)Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 And hearing this, they were amazed; and (AH)they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Sadducees

23 (AI)On that day some (AJ)Sadducees (who say (AK)there is no resurrection) came to [ac]Jesus and questioned Him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘(AL)If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up [ad]children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no [ae]children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 It was the same also with the second brother, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her in marriage.”

29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, (AM)since you do not [af]understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither (AN)marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 (AO)I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, (AP)they were astonished at His teaching.

34 (AQ)But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced (AR)the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, [ag](AS)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘(AT)You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [ah]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘(AU)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (AV)Upon these two commandments [ai]hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

41 (AW)Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the [aj]Christ? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “(AX)The son of David.” 43 He *said to them, “Then [ak]how does David [al](AY)in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

44 (AZ)The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet”’?

45 Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ [am]how is He his son?” 46 (BA)No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.

Hypocrisy Exposed

23 (BB)Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: (BC)The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and [an]comply with it all, but do not do [ao]as they do; for they say things and do not do them. And (BD)they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. And they do all their deeds (BE)to be noticed by other people; for they (BF)broaden their [ap]phylacteries and lengthen (BG)the tassels of their garments. And they (BH)love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called [aq](BI)Rabbi by the people. But as for you, (BJ)do not be called [ar](BK)Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only (BL)One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called [as]leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 (BM)But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 (BN)Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Eight Woes

13 (BO)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (BP)because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.[at]

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [au](BQ)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you [av]make him twice as much a son of [aw](BR)hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, (BS)blind guides, who say, ‘(BT)Whoever swears by the [ax]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [ay]temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! (BU)Which is [az]more important, the gold or the [ba]temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the [bb]offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, (BV)which is [bc]more important, the [bd]offering or the altar that sanctifies the [be]offering? 20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by [bf]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the [bg]temple, swears both by [bh]the temple and by Him who (BW)dwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by [bi]heaven, (BX)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23 (BY)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [bj]cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You (BZ)blind guides, who [bk]strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (CA)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [bl]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first (CB)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the [bm]outside of it may also become clean.

27 (CC)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 (CD)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you (CE)are [bn]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 [bo]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, (CF)you [bp]offspring of vipers, how [bq]will you escape the [br]sentence of [bs](CG)hell?

34 (CH)Therefore, behold, (CI)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (CJ)flog in your synagogues, and (CK)persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (CL)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (CM)son of Berechiah, whom (CN)you murdered between the [bt]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (CO)this generation.

Grieving over Jerusalem

37 (CP)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who (CQ)kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, (CR)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, (CS)your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘(CT)Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 21:24 Lit word
  2. Matthew 21:26 Lit crowd
  3. Matthew 21:28 Lit children
  4. Matthew 21:28 Lit Child
  5. Matthew 21:31 Lit are getting into
  6. Matthew 21:32 Or change your minds
  7. Matthew 21:33 Lit a man, head of a household
  8. Matthew 21:33 Or hedge
  9. Matthew 21:33 Or tenant farmers, also vv 34, 35, 38, 40
  10. Matthew 21:34 Lit the fruit season
  11. Matthew 21:40 Lit lord
  12. Matthew 21:42 Lit head of the corner
  13. Matthew 21:43 Lit nation
  14. Matthew 22:2 Lit has been compared to
  15. Matthew 22:2 Lit a man, a king
  16. Matthew 22:2 Lit made
  17. Matthew 22:5 Or field
  18. Matthew 22:10 Lit those reclining at the table
  19. Matthew 22:11 Lit those reclining at the table
  20. Matthew 22:14 Or invited
  21. Matthew 22:15 Lit took counsel
  22. Matthew 22:15 Lit in word
  23. Matthew 22:16 Lit it is not a concern to You about anyone;
  24. Matthew 22:16 Lit do not look at the face of people
  25. Matthew 22:17 Or lawful; i.e., by Jewish law and tradition
  26. Matthew 22:17 I.e., a tax on each person in the census
  27. Matthew 22:18 Or wickedness
  28. Matthew 22:19 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
  29. Matthew 22:23 Lit Him
  30. Matthew 22:24 Lit seed
  31. Matthew 22:25 Lit seed
  32. Matthew 22:29 Or know
  33. Matthew 22:35 I.e., an expert in the Mosaic Law
  34. Matthew 22:38 Or first
  35. Matthew 22:40 I.e., completely depend
  36. Matthew 22:42 I.e., Messiah
  37. Matthew 22:43 Or in what sense does
  38. Matthew 22:43 I.e., by inspiration
  39. Matthew 22:45 Or in what sense is
  40. Matthew 23:3 Lit keep all
  41. Matthew 23:3 Lit according to their deeds
  42. Matthew 23:5 I.e., small pouches containing Scripture texts, worn on the left forearm and forehead for religious purposes
  43. Matthew 23:7 In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
  44. Matthew 23:8 In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
  45. Matthew 23:10 Or teachers
  46. Matthew 23:13 Late mss add (traditionally v 14): Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses even while for appearances’ sake you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation (as v 14); cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47
  47. Matthew 23:15 Or convert
  48. Matthew 23:15 I.e., doom him to hell
  49. Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
  50. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
  51. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
  52. Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
  53. Matthew 23:17 Or sanctuary
  54. Matthew 23:18 Or gift
  55. Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
  56. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  57. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  58. Matthew 23:20 Lit it
  59. Matthew 23:21 Or sanctuary
  60. Matthew 23:21 Lit it
  61. Matthew 23:22 I.e., an indirect reference to God
  62. Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
  63. Matthew 23:24 Or filter out
  64. Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
  65. Matthew 23:26 If the inside was ritually unclean, the entire vessel was unclean whether the outside was cleaned or not (cf. Num 19:15)
  66. Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
  67. Matthew 23:32 I.e., finish what they started
  68. Matthew 23:33 Or brood
  69. Matthew 23:33 Lit are you to escape
  70. Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
  71. Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
  72. Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary

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