Jesus’ Authority Questioned

20 ^(A)On one of the days while ^(B)He was teaching the people in the temple and ^(C)preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders ^(D)confronted Him, ² and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” ³ But He replied to them, “I will also ask you a ^[a]question, and you tell Me: ⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” ⁵ They discussed 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, since they are convinced that John was a ^(E)prophet.” ⁷ And so they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Vine-growers

^9 (F)But He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to ^[b]vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰ At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out. ¹³ Now the ^[c]owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will ^(G)respect him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the ^[d]owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and ^(H)put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “^(I)May it never happen!” ¹⁷ But ^[e]Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is this statement that has been written:

^18 (L)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests ^(M)tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them. ^20 (N)And so they watched Him ^[g]closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order ^(O)that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of ^(P)the governor. ²¹ And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You ^[h]are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth. ²² Is it ^[i]permissible for us ^(Q)to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ²³ But He saw through their trickery and said to them, ²⁴ “Show Me a ^[j]denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵ And He said to them, “Then ^(R)pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ And they were unable to ^(S)catch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.

Is There a Resurrection?

^27 (T)Now some of the ^(U)Sadducees (who maintain that there is no resurrection) came to Him, ²⁸ and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ^(V)if ^[k]a man’s brother dies, ^[l]leaving a wife, and he is childless, that his brother is to ^[m]marry the wife and raise up children ^[n]for his brother. ²⁹ So then, there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; ³⁰ and the second ³¹ and the third ^[o]married her; and in the same way ^[p]all seven ^[q]died, leaving no children. ³² Finally the woman also died. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, ^[r]which one’s wife does the woman become? For ^[s]all seven ^[t]married her.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “The sons of ^(W)this age marry and the women are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to ^(X)that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are ^(Y)sons of God, being ^[u]sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But as for the fact that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed this in ^(Z)the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord ^(AA)the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ^38 (AB)Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for ^(AC)all live to Him.” ³⁹ Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ For ^(AD)they did not have the courage to question Him any longer about anything.

^41 (AE)But He said to them, “How is it that they say the ^[v]Christ is ^(AF)David’s son? ⁴² For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and so how is He his son?”

^45 (AI)And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, ^(AJ)who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, ⁴⁷ who ^[w]devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of ^(B)Christ Jesus ^[a](C)by the will of God, according to the promise of ^(D)life in Christ Jesus,

² To ^(E)Timothy, my beloved ^[b](F)son: ^(G)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

^3 (H)I thank God, whom I ^(I)serve with a ^(J)clear conscience ^[c]the way my forefathers did, ^(K)as I constantly remember you in my ^[d]prayers night and day, ^4 (L)longing to see you, ^(M)even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. ^5 [e]For I am mindful of the ^(N)sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and ^(O)your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh ^(P)the gift of God which is in you through ^(Q)the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a ^(R)spirit of ^[f]timidity, but of power and love and ^[g]discipline.

⁸ Therefore ^(S)do not be ashamed of the ^(T)testimony of our Lord or of me ^(U)His prisoner, but join with me in ^(V)suffering for the ^(W)gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who ^(X)saved us and ^(Y)called us with a holy ^(Z)calling, ^(AA)not according to our works, but according to His own ^(AB)purpose and grace, which was granted to us in ^(AC)Christ Jesus from ^(AD)all eternity, ¹⁰ but has ^(AE)now been revealed by the ^(AF)appearing of our Savior ^(AG)Christ Jesus, who ^(AH)abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ^11 (AI)for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things; but ^(AJ)I am not ashamed, for I know ^(AK)whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to ^(AL)protect what I have entrusted to Him ^[h]until ^(AM)that day. ^13 (AN)Hold on to the ^(AO)example of ^(AP)sound words ^(AQ)which you have heard from me, in the ^(AR)faith and love which are in ^(AS)Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Protect, through the Holy Spirit who ^(AT)dwells in us, the ^[i](AU)treasure which has been entrusted to you.

¹⁵ You are aware of the fact that all who are in ^[j](AV)Asia ^(AW)turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ The Lord grant mercy to ^(AX)the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and ^(AY)was not ashamed of my ^[k](AZ)chains; ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— ¹⁸ the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on ^(BA)that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at ^(BB)Ephesus.

Be Strong

2 You therefore, my ^[l](BC)son, ^(BD)be strong in the grace that is in ^(BE)Christ Jesus. ² The things ^(BF)which you have heard from me in the presence of ^(BG)many witnesses, ^(BH)entrust these to ^(BI)faithful ^[m]people who will be ^(BJ)able to teach others also. ^3 (BK)Suffer hardship with me, as a good ^(BL)soldier of ^(BM)Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier in active service ^(BN)entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ And if someone likewise ^(BO)competes as an athlete, he is not ^[n]crowned as victor unless he competes according to the rules. ^6 (BP)The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. ⁷ Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, ^(BQ)risen from the dead, ^(BR)descendant of David, ^(BS)according to my gospel, ^9 [o]for which I ^(BT)suffer hardship even to ^(BU)imprisonment as a ^(BV)criminal; but ^(BW)the word of God ^(BX)is not imprisoned. ¹⁰ For this reason ^(BY)I endure all things for ^(BZ)the sake of ^[p]those who are chosen, ^(CA)so that they also may obtain the ^(CB)salvation which is in ^(CC)Christ Jesus and with it ^(CD)eternal glory. ^11 (CE)The statement is trustworthy:

An Unashamed Worker

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and solemnly ^(CK)exhort them in the presence of God not to ^(CL)dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the listeners. ¹⁵ Be diligent to ^(CM)present yourself approved to God as a worker who ^[r]does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling ^(CN)the word of truth. ¹⁶ But ^(CO)avoid ^(CP)worldly and empty chatter, for ^[s]it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their ^[t]talk will spread like ^[u]gangrene. Among them are ^(CQ)Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that ^(CR)the resurrection has already taken place; and they are jeopardizing ^(CS)the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, the ^(CT)firm foundation of God stands, having this ^(CU)seal: “^(CV)The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “^(CW)Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.”

²⁰ Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver implements, but also implements of wood and of earthenware, and ^(CX)some are for honor while others are for dishonor. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from ^(CY)these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, ^(CZ)prepared for every good work. ²² Now ^(DA)flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, ^(DB)faith, love, and peace with those who ^(DC)call on the Lord ^(DD)from a pure heart. ²³ But refuse foolish and ignorant ^(DE)speculations, knowing that they ^(DF)produce ^[v]quarrels. ^24 (DG)The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, ^(DH)skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, ^25 (DI)with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, ^(DJ)if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to ^(DK)the knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from ^(DL)the snare of the devil, having been ^(DM)held captive ^[w]by him to do his will.