IN CONFLICT WITH SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
And he began to speak unto them by parables.
"A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and
digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to
husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to
the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandman of
the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent
him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at
him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away
shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed,
and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore
one son, his well beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying,
'They will reverence my son.' But those husbandmen said among
themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the
inheritance shall be ours.' And they took him, and killed him, and
cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the
vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give
the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; 'The
stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?'"
And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they
knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him,
and went their way.
And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians,
to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say unto him:
"Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou
regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth:
is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or
shall we not give?"
But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them: "Why tempt ye me?
Bring me a penny, that I may see it."
And they brought it. And he saith unto them, "Whose is this image and
superscription?" And they said unto him, "Caesar's." And Jesus
answering said unto them:
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things
that are God's."
And they marvelled at him.
Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection;
and they asked him, saying:
"Master, Moses wrote unto us, 'If a man's brother die, and leave his
wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.' Now there were seven
brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the
second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third
likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the
woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise,
whose wife shall she be of them, for the seven had her to wife?"
And Jesus answering said unto them, "Do ye not therefore err, because
ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they
shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching
the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in
the bush God spake unto him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead,
but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err."
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together,
and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which is the
first commandment of all?"
And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O
Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:' and '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:' this is the first commandment.
"And the second is like, namely this, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.' There is none other commandment greater than these."
And the scribe said unto him, "Well, Master, thou hast said the truth:
for there is one God; and there is none other but he: and to love Him
with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the
soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself,
is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, "Thou
art not far from the kingdom of God."
And no man after that durst ask him any question.
And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple:
"How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David
himself said by the Holy Ghost, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit thou on
my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool."' David
therefore himself calleth him 'Lord'; and whence is he then his son?"
And the common people heard him gladly. And he said unto them in his
doctrine:
"Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love
salutations in the market places, and the chief seats in the
synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: which devour widows'
houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive
greater damnation."
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast
money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And
there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make
a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them:
"Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than
all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of
their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even
all her living."