The Life of Jesus

But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it

and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.

For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.

They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there.

He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.

Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

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.

“Tell us,” they said, “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

“I will also ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “Tell Me:

John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

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

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

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

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.

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.

So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.

Then he sent a third, but they wounded him and threw him out.

‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

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.’

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