Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Jesus spoke to them in parables, telling a story about a man who owned a vineyard. He planted it, built a wall around it, dug a winepress, and constructed a tower. Then he rented the land to some tenant farmers and went on a trip. At harvest time, he sent his servant to collect the rent, but the farmer's attacked him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.

The owner sent another servant, but they wounded him in the head, humiliated him, and chased him off. He sent yet another servant, who was beaten and killed by the tenant farmers. The owner still had one more son, his favorite, whom he loved very much. So he sent him to collect the rent, saying, "They will respect my son."

But the tenant farmers were jealous of the inheritance they might lose if the son took over, so they said among themselves, "This is the heir; let's kill him and take the vineyard for ourselves." They caught the son, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard. When the owner heard what had happened, he came and destroyed the tenant farmers, turning the vineyard over to new tenants.

Someone in the crowd asked Jesus about a passage from Scripture: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Jesus replied, "This was written by the Lord, and it's astonishing how marvelous this is."

The Pharisees and Herodians tried to catch Jesus off guard with their questions. They sent some of their people to ask him, "Teacher, we know you're honest and don't play favorites; you teach God's truth without regard for people's positions: is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Jesus was aware of their hypocrisy and said, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin used for taxes." They brought him one, and he asked whose image was on the coin. They replied, "Caesar's." Jesus said, "Give back to Caesar what belongs to him, and give to God what belongs to him."

The Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, tried to trip up Jesus with a question. They said, "Moses wrote that if a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and raise up offspring in the brother's name." Then they told a story about seven brothers who married one woman, but none of them had any children.

Jesus replied, "You're mistaken because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power. When people rise from the dead, they won't get married or be given in marriage; instead, they'll be like angels in heaven." Jesus also reminded them that God is not the God of the dead but of the living.

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and heard him answer the Sadducees' question. The scribe was impressed with Jesus' response and asked, "Which commandment is the most important?" Jesus replied, "The first one is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." He added, "The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself."

The scribe said, "You've spoken the truth, Master. There's only one God, and besides him there is no other. To love God and love our neighbors as ourselves is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Jesus saw that the scribe had answered wisely and said to him, "You're not far from God's Kingdom." From then on, nobody dared ask Jesus any more questions.

While teaching in the temple, Jesus asked the scribes a question: "How do you say that Christ is the Son of David?" He quoted Psalm 110, which says, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.'" Jesus pointed out that David himself called him "Lord" and asked how he could also be his son.

The common people liked what Jesus was saying, but the scribes were trying to figure out a way to trap him. They loved wearing long robes, getting greetings in public places, and taking the best seats in the synagogues. They even went so far as to devour the property of widows under false pretenses and make long prayers just for show.

Jesus sat near the treasury, watching people put money into it. Many rich people were giving large amounts, but Jesus noticed a poor widow who was putting in two small coins, worth only a few pennies. He called his disciples over and said, "I tell you the truth: this poor widow has given more than all those wealthy people."