New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.

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Jesus’ Authority Questioned

On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,

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They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

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and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

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“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied.

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Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me:

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“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

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“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

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They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

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They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

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But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.”

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“But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

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So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

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So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

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And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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Parable of the Evil Farmers

Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years.

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Parable of the Vine-growers

And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

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At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.

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“At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

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So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.

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“And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.

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A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

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“And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out.

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“‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

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“The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

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“But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’

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“But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

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So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.
“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked.

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“So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

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“I’ll tell you — he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.

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“He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

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Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’a

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But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone’?

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Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

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“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

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The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them — they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

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Tribute to Caesar

The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

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Taxes for Caesar

Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

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So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.

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“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully.

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They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.

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Now tell us — is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

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“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

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He saw through their trickery and said,

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But He detected their trickery and said to them,

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“Show me a Roman coin.b Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.

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“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

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“Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

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And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

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So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

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And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

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Discussion about Resurrection

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees — religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.

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Is There a Resurrection?

Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection),

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They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.c

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and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES, having a wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER.

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Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children.

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“Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless;

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So the second brother married the widow, but he also died.

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and the second

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Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children.

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and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.

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Finally, the woman also died.

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“Finally the woman died also.

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So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”

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“In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

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Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth.

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Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,

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But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

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but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

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And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

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for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

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“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised — even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lordd as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’e

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“But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.

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So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

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“Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.”

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“Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.

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Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

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And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.

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Whose Son Is the Messiah?

Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?

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Then He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?

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For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

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“For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

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until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.’f

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UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’

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Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

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

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Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said,

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And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples,

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“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.

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“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,

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Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

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who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Parallel

New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

Luke 20

Luke 20