Beginning
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Vinedressers(A)
12 He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower, and rented it to vinedressers, and went to a far country. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the vinedressers to receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them. They threw stones at him, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 Still he sent another, and they killed him. And there were many others. Some they beat, and some they killed.
6 “Having yet his one well-beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will revere my son.’
7 “But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us 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 the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11 This was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”
12 Then they tried to seize Him, but feared the people, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went their way.
The Question of Paying Taxes(B)
13 They sent to Him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap Him in His words. 14 When they came to Him, they said, “Teacher, we know that You are true and swayed by no man. For You do not regard the person of men, but truthfully teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 They brought it, and He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
17 Then Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they were amazed at Him.
The Question About the Resurrection(C)
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves his wife behind, but leaves no children, that man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother.[b] 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and when he died, he left no children. 21 The second took her and died, leaving no children, and the third likewise. 22 The seven had her and left no children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered them, “Do you not err, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead rising, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’[c]? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You therefore do greatly err.”
The Great Commandment(D)
28 One of the scribes came and heard them reasoning together. Perceiving that Jesus had answered them well, he 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 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[d] This is the first commandment. 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e] There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 The scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, that there is one God and there is no other but Him. 33 To love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask Him any question.
The Question About David’s Son(E)
35 While Jesus taught in the temple, He said, “How can the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
until I put Your enemies
under Your feet.” ’[f]
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ How then is He his Son?”
And the large crowd heard him gladly.
The Denouncing of the Scribes(F)
38 He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who love to go about in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and the prominent seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering(G)
41 Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. Many who were rich put in much. 42 But a certain poor widow came and put in two mites, which make a farthing.[g]
43 He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 They all contributed out of their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her entire livelihood.”
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold(H)
13 As He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what great stones and what great buildings are here.”
2 Jesus answered him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
Troubles and Persecutions(I)
3 As He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus answered them, “Take heed lest anyone deceive you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. For such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “But take heed. For they will hand you over to councils, and in the synagogues you will be beaten. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 But when they arrest you and hand you over, take no thought beforehand, or premeditate what you should speak. But speak whatever is given you in that time, for it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “Now a brother will betray his brother to death, and the father the son; children will rise up against their parents, and will cause them to be put to death. 13 You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
The Great Tribulation(J)
14 “When you see the ‘abomination of desolation’[h] spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down or enter the house to take anything out of his house. 16 Let him who is in the field not turn back to take his garment. 17 But woe to women who are pregnant and to those who nurse in those days! 18 Pray that your escape may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be distress as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created to this time, nor ever shall be.
20 “Except the Lord shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there He is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed. I have told you all things beforehand.
The Coming of the Son of Man(K)
24 “But in those days, after that distress,
‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give her light;
25 the stars of heaven will fall,
and the powers that are in heaven will be shaken.’[i]
26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 Then He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree(L)
28 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When her branch is yet tender and puts outs leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things come to pass, know that it is near, even at the doors. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
The Unknown Day and Hour(M)
32 “But concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 For the Son of Man is like a man leaving on a far journey who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 “Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you I say to all: Watch!”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.