Old/New Testament
The question about Jesus’ authority
20 On one of those days, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, and announcing the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders, and said to him, 2 “Tell us: by what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority?”
3 “I’ve got a question for you, too,” said Jesus, “so tell me this: 4 was John’s baptism from God, or was it merely human?”
5 “If we say it was from God,” they said among themselves, “he’ll say, So why didn’t you believe him? 6 But if we say ‘merely human,’ all the people will stone us, since they’re convinced that John was a prophet.”
7 So they replied that they didn’t know where John and his baptism came from.
8 “Very well, then,” said Jesus. “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The parable of the tenants
9 Jesus began to tell the people this parable. “There was a man who planted a vineyard, let it out to tenant farmers, and went abroad for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a slave to the farmers to collect from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He then sent a further slave, and they beat him, abused him, and sent him back empty-handed. 12 Then he sent yet a third, and they beat him up and threw him out.
13 “So the master of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I’ll send my beloved son. They will certainly respect him!’ 14 But when the farmers saw him they said to each other, ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him, and then the inheritance will belong to us!’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“So what will the master of the vineyard do? 16 He will come and wipe out those farmers, and give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard this, they said, “God forbid!” 17 But Jesus looked round at them and said, “What then does it mean in the Bible when it says,
The very stone the builders refused
now for the corner’s top is used?
18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be smashed to smithereens; but if it falls on anyone, it will crush them.”
19 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on him then and there. But they were afraid of the people, because they knew that Jesus had told this parable against them.
On paying taxes to Caesar
20 So the authorities watched Jesus, and sent people to lie in wait for him. They pretended to be upright folk, but were trying to trap him in something he said, so that they could hand him over to the rule and authority of the governor. 21 So they asked him this question.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach with integrity. You are completely impartial, and you teach God’s way and God’s truth. 22 So: is it right for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”
23 Jesus knew they were playing a trick.
24 “Show me a tribute-coin,” he said. “This image . . . and this inscription . . . who do they belong to?”
“Caesar,” they said.
25 “Well, then,” replied Jesus, “you’d better give Caesar back what belongs to him! And give God back what belongs to him.”
26 They couldn’t catch him in anything he said in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer, and had nothing more to say.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.