Matthew 21:23-46

231When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him 2while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24But Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one 3question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?” And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the 4people; for they all regard John as 5a prophet.” 27And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.

28“But what do you think? A man had two 6sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘7Son, go work today in the 8vineyard.’ 29But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. 30And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that 9the tax collectors and prostitutes 10will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but 11the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even 12have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.

33“Listen to another parable. 13There was a 14landowner who 15planted a 16vineyard and put a 17fence around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and he leased it to 18vine-growers and 19went on a journey. 34And when the 20harvest time approached, he 21sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his fruit. 35And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again, he 22sent other slaves, more than the first; and they did the same things to them. 37But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him and take possession of his inheritance!’ 39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Therefore, when the 23owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and 24lease the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the fruit in the proper seasons.”

42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘25A stone which the builders rejected, This has become the 26chief cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a 27people producing its fruit. 44And 28the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46And although they sought to arrest Him, they 29feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a 30prophet.