Dual Panel1THEN he began to talk to them in parables. "A man once planted a vineyard," he said, "fenced it round, dug out the hole for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he let it out to some farmworkers and went abroad.
2At the end of the season he sent a servant to the tenants to receive his share of the vintage.
3But they got hold of him, knocked him about and sent him off emptyhanded.
4The owner tried again. He sent another servant to them, but this one they knocked on the head and generally insulted.
5Once again he sent them another servant, but him they murdered. He sent many others and some they beat up and some they murdered.
6He had one man lefthis own son who was very dear to him. He sent him last of all to the tenants, saying to himself, 'They will surely respect my own son.'
7But they said to each other, 'This fellow is the future ownercome on, let's kill him, and the property will be ours!'
8So they got hold of him and murdered him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard is going to do? He will come and destroy the men who were working his vineyard and will hand it over to others.
10Have you never read this scriptureThe stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner;
11This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes?"
12At this they longed to get their hands on him, for they knew perfectly well that he had aimed this parable at thembut they were afraid of the people. So they left him and went away.
13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodparty to trap him in on argument.
14They came up and said to him, "Master, we know that you are an honest man and that you are not swayed by men's opinion of you. Obviously you don't care for human approval but teach the way of God with the strictest regard for truthis it right to pay tribute to Caesar or not:
15are we to pay or not to pay?" But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, "Why try this trick on me? bring me a coin and let me look at it."
16So they brought one to him. "Whose face is this?" asked Jesus, "and whose name is in the inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.
17And Jesus said, "Then pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God!"a reply which staggered them.
18Then some of the Sadducees (a party which maintains that there is no resurrection) approached him and put this question to him,
19"Master, Moses instructed us that if a man's brother dies leaving a widow but no child, then the man should marry the woman and raise children for his brother.
20Now there were seven brothers, and the first one married and died without leaving issue.
21Then the second one married the widow and died leaving no issue behind him. The same thing happened with the third,
22and indeed the whole seven died without leaving any child behind them. Finally the woman herself died.
23Now in this 'resurrection',when men rise up again, whose wife is she going to befor she was the wife of all seven of them?"
24Jesus replied, "Does not this show where you go wrongand how you fail to understand both the scriptures and the power of God?
25When people rise from the dead they neither marry nor are they given in marriage; they live like the angels in Heaven.
26But as for this matter of the dead being raised, have you never react in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him in these words, 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'?
27God is not God of the dead but of living men! That is where you make your great mistake."
28Then one of the scribes approached him. He had been listening to the discussion, and had noticed how well Jesus had answered them, and he put this question to him, What are we to consider the greatest commandment of all?"
29"The first and most important one is this," Jesus replied"'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one:
30and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.'
31The second is this, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' No other commandment is greater than these."
32"I am well answered, master," replied the scribe. "You are absolutely right when you say that there is one God and no other God exists but him;
33and to love him with the whole of our hearts, the whole of our intelligence and the whole of our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves is infinitely more important than all these burntofferings and sacrifices."
34Then Jesus, noting the wisdom of his reply, said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After this nobody felt they could ask him any more questions.
35Later, while Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he remarked, "How can the scribes maintain that Christ is David's son,
36for David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, The Lord said unto my [Lord], Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.
37David is himself calling Christ 'Lord'where do they get the idea that he is his son?" The vast crowd heard this with great delight,
38and Jesus continued in his teaching, "Be on your guard against these scribes who love to walk about in long robes and to be greeted respectfully in public
39and to have the front seats in the synagogue and the best places at dinnerparties!
40These are the men who grow fat on widows' property and cover up what they are doing by making lengthy prayers. They are only adding to the severity of their punishment!"
41Then Jesus sat down opposite the Temple almsbox and watched the people putting their money into it. A great many rich people put in large sums.
42Then a poor widow came up and dropped in two little coins, worth together about a farthing.
43Jesus called his disciples to his side and said to them, "Believe me, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
44For they have all put in what they can easily afford, but she in her poverty who needs so much, has given away everything, her whole living!"