The Life of Jesus

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them.

Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.

Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.

‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?

Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.

“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.