1ON one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the Temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the high priests and the scribes came up with the elders 2and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things or who it is that gave you this authority." 3He answered them, "I too will ask you a question and you must tell me: 4the baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men?" 5They conferred among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 6and if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us; for they are persuaded that John was a prophet." 7So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." 9He began and gave the people this illustration: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to grape-growers and went abroad for a long time. 10At the proper season he sent to the grape-growers a servant for them to give him a part of the fruit of the vineyard. But the grape-growers beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 11He afterwards sent another servant. That one, too, they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. 12Then he sent a third. But this one, too, they wounded and threw out. 13The owner of the vineyard said, 'I will send my son, my beloved. Perhaps they will reverence him.' 14But when the grape-growers saw him, they conferred with one another and said, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.' 15So they threw him outside of the vineyard and killed him. What now will the owner of the vineyard do? 16He will come and destroy those grape-growers and will give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they exclaimed, "May it never be!" 17He turned his eyes upon them and said, "What does this Scripture mean, 'The stone which the builders rejected \'97 that one has become the corner stone'? 18Every one who falls upon that stone will be shattered, but whomever it falls on it will crush to pieces." 19The scribes and the high priests were eager to lay hands on him at that very time, for they knew that he had aimed the illustration at them; but they were afraid of the people. 20So watching insidiously for an opportunity they sent spies, who pretended to be honest men, to seize upon anything he might say, so as to hand him over to the authorities and to the power of the Governor. 21They asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly and that you do not regard personal influences, but you teach the way of God according to truth. 22Is it right for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?" 23He saw through their cunning and said to them, 24"Show me a coin. Whose head and inscription does it have on it?" They said, "Caesar's." 25He said to them, "Then pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and pay to God what belongs to God." 26They could not seize upon his words before the people, and in astonishment at his answer they were silent. 27There came to him some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, and asked him, 28"Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If any one's married brother dies childless, that man must marry his brother's widow and raise up offspring for his brother.' 29Well, there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. 30The second 31and the third and the rest of the seven took her and died leaving no children. 32Finally the woman also died. 33Now this woman \'97 whose wife will she be at the resurrection? For she was wife to the seven." 34Jesus said to them, "The children of this world marry and are married, 35but those who are judged worthy to reach that world and the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are married, 36neither can they die, for they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection. 37But that the dead rise Moses has made known in the passage regarding the Bush where he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' 38He is not a God of dead men, but of living men. For all are alive to him." 39Some of the scribes answered him, "Teacher, you have spoken well." 40And they no longer dared to ask him anything. 41He said to them, "How do they say that the Christ is the son of David? 42David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right 43until I make your enemies your footstool.' 44So David calls him 'Lord'; how is he then his son?" 45While all the people were listening, he said to the disciples, 46"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes and love salutations in the market-places and front seats in the synagogues and the best couches at dinners, 47who devour widows' houses and in pretense make long prayers. These will receive unusual condemnation."