The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned
1One day Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtyard. He was announcing the good news to them. The chief priests and the teachers of the law came up to him. The elders came with them. 2“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they all said. “Who gave you this authority?”
3Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from people?”
5They talked to one another about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will throw stones at us and kill us. They believe that John was a prophet.”
7So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know where John’s baptism came from.”
8Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.”
The Story of the Renters
9Jesus went on to tell the people a story. “A man planted a vineyard,” he said. “He rented it out to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a slave to the renters. They were supposed to give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the renters beat the slave. Then they sent him away with nothing. 11So the man sent another slave. They beat that one and treated him badly. They also sent him away with nothing. 12The man sent a third slave. The renters wounded him and threw him out.
13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I have a son, and I love him. I will send him. Maybe they will respect him.’
14“But when the renters saw the son, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard. And they killed him.
“What will the owner of the vineyard do to the renters? 16He will come and kill them. He will give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “We hope this never happens!”
17Jesus looked right at them and said, “Here is something I want you to explain the meaning of. It is written,
“ ‘The stone the builders didn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.’ (Psalm 118:22)
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”
19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Jesus at once. They knew he had told that story against them. But they were afraid of the people.
Is It Right to Pay the Royal Tax to Caesar?
20The religious leaders sent spies to keep a close watch on Jesus. The spies pretended to be sincere. They hoped they could trap Jesus with something he would say. Then they could hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right. We know you don’t favor one person over another. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23Jesus saw they were trying to trick him. So he said to them, 24“Show me a silver coin. Whose picture and words are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give back to God what belongs to God.”
26They were not able to trap him with what he had said there in front of all the people. Amazed by his answer, they became silent.
Marriage When the Dead Rise
27The Sadducees do not believe that people rise from the dead. Some of them came to Jesus with a question. 28“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us about a man’s brother who dies. Suppose the brother leaves a wife but has no children. Then the man must marry the widow. He must provide children to carry on his dead brother’s name. 29There were seven brothers. The first one married a woman. He died without leaving any children. 30The second one married her. 31And then the third one married her. One after another, the seven brothers married her. They all died. None left any children. 32Finally, the woman died too. 33Now then, when the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers were married to her.”
34Jesus replied, “People in this world get married. And their parents give them to be married. 35But it will not be like that when the dead rise. Those who are considered worthy to take part in the world to come won’t get married. And their parents won’t give them to be married. 36They can’t die anymore. They are like the angels. They are God’s children. They will be given a new form of life when the dead rise. 37Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush. Even Moses showed that the dead rise. The Lord said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.’ (Exodus 3:6) 38He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. In his eyes, everyone is alive.”
39Some of the teachers of the law replied, “You have spoken well, teacher!” 40And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41Jesus said to them, “Why do people say that the Messiah is the son of David? 42David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
43until I put your enemies
under your control.” ’ (Psalm 110:1)
44David calls him ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?”
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
45All the people were listening. Jesus said to his disciples, 46“Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes. They love to be greeted with respect in the market. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. They also love to have the places of honor at banquets. 47They take over the houses of widows. They say long prayers to show off. God will punish these men very much.”
质问耶稣的权柄
1有一天，耶稣正在圣殿里教导人、传讲福音，祭司长、律法教师和长老上前， 2质问祂：“告诉我们，你凭什么权柄做这些事？谁授权给你了？”
3耶稣回答说：“我也问你们一个问题。你们告诉我， 4约翰的洗礼是从天上来的还是从人来的？”
5他们彼此议论说：“如果我们说‘是从天上来的’，祂一定会问，‘那你们为什么不相信他？’ 6如果我们说‘是从人来的’，百姓会拿石头打死我们，因为他们相信约翰是先知。” 7于是，他们回答说：“我们不知道约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的。”
8耶稣说：“我也不告诉你们我凭什么权柄做这些事。”
利欲熏心的佃户
9接着耶稣对众人讲了个比喻：“有人开垦了一个葡萄园，把园子租给几个佃户，就出远门了。 10到了收获的季节，他差奴仆去葡萄园向佃户收取他应得的收成，但那些佃户却把奴仆揍了一顿，使他空手而归。 11园主又派另一个奴仆去，那些佃户照样将他殴打并羞辱一番，使他空手而归。 12园主又派第三个奴仆去，他们又把他打伤，抛在园外。
13“园主说，‘我该怎样办呢？不如叫我所疼爱的儿子去吧。他们大概会尊敬他。’
14“岂料那些佃户看见来人是园主的儿子，便彼此商量说，‘这个人是产业继承人，我们把他杀掉，这葡萄园就归我们了！’ 15于是他们把园主的儿子拖到葡萄园外杀了。
“那么，园主会怎样处治他们呢？ 16他必来杀掉这些佃户，把葡萄园转租给别人。”
众人听了就说：“但愿这种事永远不会发生！”
17耶稣定睛看着他们，问道：“那么，圣经上说，
“‘工匠丢弃的石头已成了房角石’，
这句话是什么意思呢？ 18凡跌在这石头上的人，将粉身碎骨；这石头落在谁身上，将把谁砸烂。”
纳税问题
19律法教师和祭司长听出这比喻是针对他们说的，便想立刻下手捉拿耶稣，但又害怕百姓。 20于是，他们密切地监视耶稣，又派遣密探假装好人，想从祂的话里找把柄抓祂去见总督。
21那些密探问耶稣：“老师，我们知道你所讲所传的道都是正确的，也知道你不看人的情面，只按真理传上帝的道。 22那么，我们向凯撒纳税对不对呢？”
23耶稣看破他们的阴谋， 24就叫他们拿一个银币来，问他们：“上面刻的是谁的像和名号？”他们说：“凯撒的。”
25耶稣说：“属于凯撒的，要给凯撒；属于上帝的，要给上帝。”
26耶稣的回答令他们惊奇，他们无法当众找到把柄，只好闭口不言。
论死人复活
27撒督该人向来不相信有复活的事。有几个这一派的人来问耶稣： 28“老师，按摩西为我们写的律例，如果有人娶妻后没有孩子就死了，他的兄弟应当娶嫂嫂，替哥哥传宗接代。 29有弟兄七人，老大结了婚，没有孩子就死了。 30二弟、 31三弟、一直到七弟都相继娶了嫂嫂，都没有留下孩子就死了。 32最后那个女人也死了。 33那么，到复活的时候，她将是谁的妻子呢？因为七个人都娶过她。”
34耶稣说：“今世的人才有嫁娶， 35但那些配得将来的世界、从死里复活的人也不娶也不嫁， 36就像天使一样永远不会死。他们既然从死里复活，就是上帝的儿女。 37在记载有关燃烧的荆棘的篇章中，摩西也证实死人会复活，因为他称主是‘亚伯拉罕的上帝，以撒的上帝，雅各的上帝’。 38上帝不是死人的上帝，而是活人的上帝。因为在祂那里的人都是活人。”
39几位律法教师说：“老师答得好！” 40此后，再没有人敢问耶稣问题了。
论基督
41耶稣问他们：“人怎么说基督是大卫的后裔呢？ 42大卫曾在诗篇里说，
“‘主对我主说，
你坐在我的右边，
43等我使你的仇敌成为你的脚凳。’
44既然大卫称基督为主，基督又怎么会是大卫的后裔呢？”
45大家正在细听，耶稣对门徒说： 46“你们要提防律法教师。他们爱穿着长袍招摇过市，喜欢人们在大街上问候他们，又喜欢会堂里的上座和宴席中的首位。 47他们侵吞寡妇的财产，还假意做冗长的祷告。这种人必受到更严厉的惩罚！”
