1 ARST One day during that week, Jesus was teaching the people at the temple and telling them God’ s good message. As he was doing that, the chief priests, the teachers of the Jewish laws, and some other elders came to him. BSB BSB: One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him.
2 ARST They said to him,“Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? And who gave you this right?” BSB BSB: “Tell us,” they said, “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
3 ARST He replied,“I will also ask you a question. Tell me BSB BSB: “I will also ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “Tell Me:
4 ARST about John baptizing people: Did God command him to baptize or did humans command him?” BSB BSB: John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”
5 ARST They discussed this among themselves. They said,“If we answer,‘God commanded him,’ then he will say,‘So why did you not believe him?’ BSB BSB: They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did you not believe him?’
6 ARST But if we say,‘It was only humans who told him to baptize,’ the people will stone us to death, because most of them believe that John was a prophet{ whom God sent}.” BSB BSB: But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
7 ARST So they replied that they did not know who told John to baptize. BSB BSB: So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 ARST Then Jesus said to them,“Just as you will not tell me, I will not tell you who sent me to do those things.” BSB BSB: And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
9 ARST Then Jesus told the people this parable:“A man planted a vineyard. He rented the vineyard to some people who would take care of it. Then he went to another country and stayed there for a long time. BSB BSB: Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time.
10 ARST When it was time to harvest the grapes, this owner sent a servant to the people who were taking care of the vineyard. He wanted them to give him his share of the grapes that the vineyard had produced. But{ after the servant arrived,} they beat that servant and sent him away without giving him any grapes. BSB BSB: At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.
11 ARST Later, the owner sent another servant, but they also beat and shamed that servant. They sent him away without any grapes. BSB BSB: So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.
12 ARST Still later, the owner sent yet another servant. The farmers wounded this servant too and forced him to leave the vineyard. BSB BSB: Then he sent a third, but they wounded him and threw him out.
13 ARST So the owner of the vineyard said to himself,‘What should I do now? I will send my son, whom I love very much. They will probably respect him.’ BSB BSB: ‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’
14 ARST { So he sent his son,} but when the people who were caring for the vineyard saw him coming, they said to each other,‘Here comes the man who will some day inherit this vineyard! Let us kill him! Then the vineyard will be ours!’ BSB BSB: But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
15 ARST So they dragged him outside the vineyard, and they killed him. I will tell you what the owner of the vineyard will do to them! BSB BSB: So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16 ARST He will come and kill those people who were taking care of the vineyard. Then he will arrange for other people to take care of it.” When the people listening to Jesus heard this, they said,“May a situation like this never happen!” BSB BSB: He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”
17 ARST But Jesus looked directly at them and said,“You can say that, but think about the meaning of these words that are written in the Scriptures.‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the most important stone in the building. BSB BSB: But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
18 ARST This stone will break to pieces everyone who falls on it, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’” BSB BSB: Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
19 ARST The chief priests and the teachers of the Jewish laws realized that he was accusing them when he told the story about those wicked people. So they immediately tried to find a way to arrest him.{ But they did not arrest him,} because they were afraid of what the people would do if they did so. BSB BSB: When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
20 ARST So they watched him carefully. They also sent spies{ to talk to Jesus} who pretended to be sincere, but who really wanted to get Jesus to say something wrong. They wanted to{ be able to accuse him of encouraging resistance to the Roman government so that they could} turn him over to the governor{ of the province}. BSB BSB: So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
21 ARST One of them said to him,“Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right. You do that even if important people do not like it. You teach truthfully what God wants us to do. BSB BSB: “Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
22 ARST { So tell us what you think about this matter.} Is it right for us to pay taxes to the Roman government, or not?” BSB BSB: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 ARST But he knew that they were trying to trick him to get him into trouble either with the Jews, who hated to pay those taxes, or with the Roman government. So he said to them, BSB BSB: But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them,
24 ARST “Show me a Roman coin. Then tell me whose picture and name are on it.” So they{ showed him a coin and} said,“It has the picture and name of Caesar.” BSB BSB: “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.
25 ARST He said to them,“In that case, give to the government what belongs to it, and give to God what belongs to him.” BSB BSB: So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 ARST The spies could find nothing wrong with anything that Jesus said while the people were standing around him. The spies were so amazed at his answer that they did not say anything more. BSB BSB: And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people. And amazed at His answer, they fell silent.
27 ARST After that, some Sadducees came to Jesus. Their group of Jews taught that no one would rise from the dead. They also intended to ask Jesus a challenging question. BSB BSB: Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him.
28 ARST One of them said to him,“Teacher, Moses taught us Jews what to do if a man dies who has a wife but no children. His brother should marry the widow so that she can have a child by him. People will then consider that child a descendant of the man who died. BSB BSB: “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
29 ARST Well, there were seven brothers in one family. The oldest one married a woman, but before she had any children, he died, leaving her as a widow. BSB BSB: Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a wife but died childless.
30 ARST The second brother followed this law and married the widow, but the same thing happened to him. BSB BSB: Then the second
31 ARST Then the third brother married her, but the same thing happened again. In the end, all seven brothers, one by one, married that woman but died without having any children. BSB BSB: and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
32 ARST Afterwards, the woman died, too. BSB BSB: And last of all, the woman died.
33 ARST Therefore, if it is true that there will be a time when people who have died will become alive again, whose wife do you think that woman will be then? Keep in mind that she was married to all seven brothers!” BSB BSB: So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”
34 ARST Jesus replied to them,“In this world, men marry women, and parents give daughters in marriage to men. BSB BSB: Jesus answered, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.
35 ARST But the people whom God will consider worthy of being in heaven when he brings them back to life after they have died will not marry. BSB BSB: But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
36 ARST { They do not marry} because they cannot die anymore. Rather, they are like the angels{ who live forever}. They are God’ s children, since God has made them alive again after they have died. BSB BSB: In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.
37 ARST { Now that I have answered your question about marriage, I will show from Scripture} that God does make people alive again after they have died. Even Moses wrote about this. In the place where he describes meeting God at the burning bush, he records how the Lord called himself‘the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’{ God would not have said that if he had not made those men alive again and he were not still their God.} BSB BSB: Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
38 ARST After all, he is not the God of people who are dead. He is the God of people who are alive, because to God, everyone remains alive{ even after they die}.” BSB BSB: He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”
39 ARST Some of the teachers of the Jewish law{ who were there} replied,“Teacher, you have answered very well!” BSB BSB: Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well!”
40 ARST { The scribes said this} because the people who had been trying to trap Jesus{ had stopped asking him difficult questions. He had answered so well that they} were afraid to ask him anything else. BSB BSB: And they did not dare to question Him any further.
41 ARST So in return,{ Jesus asked them a difficult question of his own.} He said,“Why do people say that the Messiah is{ only} a descendant of King David? BSB BSB: Then Jesus declared, “How can it be said that the Christ is the Son of David?
42 ARST Consider that David himself wrote in the Book of Psalms{ about the Messiah},‘God said to my Lord,“Sit here next to me on my right side{, in that position of great honor}. BSB BSB: For David himself says in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
43 ARST { Sit here} while I completely defeat your enemies.”’ BSB BSB: until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
44 ARST In this psalm, King David calls the Messiah‘my Lord.’{ That is a title of great respect.} So how could the Messiah be David’ s descendant?{ It is the descendant who should show great respect to the ancestor.}” BSB BSB: Thus David calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?”
45 ARST Then, while all the other people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, BSB BSB: In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to His disciples,
46 ARST “Make sure that you do not act like the men who teach our Jewish laws. They like to put on long robes and walk around to make people think that they are very important. They also like people to greet them respectfully in the marketplaces. They like to sit in the most important seats in the synagogues. At dinner parties they like to sit in the places for the most honored people. BSB BSB: “Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.
47 ARST They{ also} steal all the property of widows. But to make other people think that they are righteous, they pray for a long time{ in public}. God will condemn them strictly for what they have done.” BSB BSB: They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”