The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
Then Jesus began telling them a story: "There was a man who planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it to protect it, dug out a pit where the grapes could be pressed into wine, and constructed a tall tower for keeping watch. When everything was ready, he rented the vineyard to some farmers and traveled to a distant country. When the harvest season arrived, the owner sent one of his servants to collect the portion of the crop that belonged to him. But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him severely, and sent him back with nothing. So the owner sent another servant to them. This time they hit him in the head and treated him with terrible cruelty. The owner tried again, sending yet another servant, but they killed this one. He kept sending many other servants—some they beat, others they murdered. The owner had one person left to send: his own son, whom he loved dearly. He decided to send him, thinking, 'Surely they will show respect for my son.' But when the farmers saw the son coming, they said to each other, 'Look—here comes the heir! If we kill him, this vineyard will become ours.' So they seized the son, murdered him, and threw his body outside the vineyard. Now what do you think the vineyard owner will do? He will come back, destroy those farmers, and give his vineyard to others. Haven't you read these words in Scripture: 'The stone that the builders threw away has become the most important stone of all. This amazing thing has come from the Lord himself'?" When the religious leaders heard this story, they wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they understood that he had told this parable about them. But they were afraid of the crowd's reaction, so they left him alone and walked away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
Later, the religious leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians to trap Jesus with his own words. They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are completely honest and don't care about pleasing anyone. You treat everyone the same and teach God's truth without compromise. Tell us—is it right to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor or not? Should we pay these taxes or refuse?" But Jesus could see right through their false flattery and knew they were trying to trick him. He said to them, "Why are you testing me like this? Bring me a Roman coin so I can look at it." They brought him a silver denarius, and Jesus held it up and asked them, "Whose face is stamped on this coin? And whose name is written on it?" "The Emperor's," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Well then, give the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and give God what belongs to God." They were completely amazed at his answer.
The Question about the Resurrection
Some Sadducees came to Jesus next. These were religious leaders who believed that when people die, they stay dead forever—no resurrection, no afterlife. They had a question they thought would trap him. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote a law for us. If a married man dies without having any children, his brother must marry the widow and have children with her. Those children will carry on the dead brother's family line." Then they told him a story. "There were seven brothers. The oldest got married, but then he died without having any children. So the second brother married the woman, just as the law required. But he died too, also without children. The same thing happened to the third brother. In fact, all seven brothers married this same woman, one after another, and all seven died without leaving any children. Finally, the woman herself died." The Sadducees looked at Jesus with satisfaction. "Now then, when the resurrection happens—if it happens—whose wife will she be? After all, all seven brothers were married to her." Jesus looked at them seriously. "You're completely wrong about this, and here's why: you don't understand what the Scriptures actually teach, and you don't understand how powerful God is." He continued, "When people rise from the dead, marriage won't work the same way it does now. Men and women won't get married or be given in marriage. Instead, they'll be like the angels in heaven." "But let me address your real question about whether the dead actually rise again. Haven't you read what God said to Moses at the burning bush? God told him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Notice he didn't say 'I was their God'—he said 'I am.' God is not the God of dead people, but of living people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive to him." Jesus shook his head. "You are completely mistaken about this."
The Greatest Commandment
One of the religious teachers had been listening to the discussion between Jesus and the other leaders. He was impressed by how skillfully Jesus had answered their difficult questions. So he approached Jesus with his own question: "Of all God's commandments, which one matters most?" Jesus answered him directly: "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, people of Israel—the Lord our God is the one and only Lord. You must love the Lord your God with everything you have: with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second most important commandment is this: 'Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.' No other commandment is more important than these two." The religious teacher nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Teacher," he said. "You've spoken the truth—God is one, and there is no other God besides him. To love God with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself—this matters more than any animal sacrifice or religious offering we could bring to the temple." When Jesus heard this thoughtful response, he could see that the man truly understood. "You are close to God's kingdom," Jesus told him. After this exchange, no one else dared to ask Jesus any more challenging questions.
The Question about David's Son
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyards, he posed a question to those gathered around him. "How can the religious teachers say that the Messiah is David's son?" he asked. Then Jesus explained his reasoning: "David himself, speaking through the Holy Spirit, said these words: 'The Lord God said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies bow down beneath your feet.'" Jesus continued, "David himself calls this person 'Lord.' So how can the Messiah be David's son if David calls him Lord?" The large crowd that had gathered listened to Jesus with great pleasure and amazement.
Warning Against the Scribes
As Jesus continued teaching, he gave this warning: "Be careful of the religious teachers. They love to parade around in their flowing robes and enjoy being greeted with respect in the public squares. They want the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at dinner parties. But these same men cheat widows out of their homes, and then they make a big show of saying long prayers to impress people. Because of this, their punishment will be especially severe."
The Widow's Offering
Jesus sat down across from the temple treasury and watched as people dropped their money into the collection box. Many wealthy people came by and put in large amounts of money. Then a poor widow approached and dropped in two tiny copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Jesus called his disciples over to him and said, "I'm telling you the truth—this poor widow has given more than everyone else who contributed to the treasury today. All the others gave from their extra money, but she gave from her poverty. She put in everything she had, all the money she needed to live on."