1 He  * 12:1–12 Mt 21:33–46; Lk 20:9–19 began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard,* 12:1 Gn 9:20put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away.2 At harvest time he sent* 12:2 Mk 3:14a servant* 12:2 Mt 10:24to the farmers to collect some of the fruit* 12:2 Mt 3:8; 7:16of the vineyard from them.3 But they took him, beat* 12:3 Lk 22:63him, and sent him away empty-handed.* 12:3 Col 2:84 Again he sent another servant to them, and they* 12:4 Other mss add threw stones andhit him on the head and treated him shamefully.* 12:4 Other mss add and sent him off5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed.6 He still had one to send, a beloved* 12:6 Eph 1:6; Phm 1son. Finally* 12:6 Heb 1:1–2he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.9 What then will the owner* 12:9 Or lord,* 12:9 Col 3:22of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others.10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:* 12:10 Mt 26:54; 2Pt 1:20

The* 12:10–11 Ps 118:22–23stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.* 12:10 Ac 4:11; 1Pt 2:7

11 This came about from the Lord* 12:11 Col 4:1; Jd 5

and is wonderful in our eyes? "* 12:10–11 Ps 118:22–23

12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

13 Then  * 12:13–17 Mt 22:15–22; Lk 20:20–26 they sent some of the Pharisees  * 12:13 Mk 7:3 and the Herodians  * 12:13 Mk 3:6 to Jesus to trap him in his words.  * 12:13 Lk 11:5414 When they came, they said to him, "Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality  * 12:14 Dt 1:17 but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes  * 12:14 Mt 17:25 to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? "

15 But knowing their hypocrisy,  * 12:15 Mt 23:28; Lk 12:1; Gl 2:13; 1Tm 4:2; 1Pt 2:1 he said to them, "Why are you testing* 12:15 Jms 1:13me? Bring me a denarius* 12:15 A denarius = one day’s wage,* 12:15 Mt 18:28to look at."16 They brought a coin. "Whose image* 12:16 Rv 13:14and inscription* 12:16 Mk 15:26; Lk 23:38is this? " he asked them.

"Caesar’s," they replied.

17 Jesus told them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."* 12:17 Rm 13:7 And they were utterly amazed  * 12:17 Rv 17:6 at him.

18 Sadducees,  * 12:18–27 Mt 22:23–33; Lk 20:27–40 who say there is no resurrection,  * 12:18 Ac 23:6 came to him and questioned him: 19 "Teacher,  * 12:19 Mk 4:38; Eph 4:11 Moses  * 12:19 Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2 wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child,* 12:19 Lk 1:7that man should take the wife* 12:19 Mt 1:6and raise up offspring for his brother.* 12:19 Gn 38:8; Dt 25:5,* 12:19 Gn 38:8; Dt 25:5–1020 There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 None of the seven  * 12:22 Other mss add had taken her and left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise,  * 12:23 Other mss omit when they rise whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? "

24 Jesus spoke to them, "Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures* 12:24 Mt 26:54; 2Pt 1:20or the power* 12:24 Lk 1:35; 6:19of God?* 12:24 2Co 13:4; Rv 11:1725 For when they rise* 12:25 Lk 18:33from the dead,* 12:25 Jn 5:25; 20:9they neither marry nor are given in marriage* 12:25 1Tm 5:14but are like angels* 12:25 Mt 13:49; Ac 5:19; Rv 14:6in heaven.26 And as for the dead being raised — haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I* 12:26 Ex 3:6,15–16am the God of Abraham* 12:26 Gl 3:6and the God of Isaac* 12:26 Jms 2:21and the God of Jacob?* 12:26 Ex 3:6,15–16* 12:26 Mt 1:2; Lk 1:3327 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken."

28 One  * 12:28–34 Mt 22:34–40 of the scribes  * 12:28 Mt 2:4 approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, "Which command is the most important of all? "

29 Jesus answered, "The most important* 12:29 Other mss add of all the commandsis Listen, Israel! The Lord* 12:29 Col 4:1; Jd 5our God, the Lord* 12:29 Dt 6:4is one.* 12:29 Or the Lord our God is Lord alone.30 Love* 12:30 Lk 6:35the Lord your God* 12:30 Dt 6:5; Lk 10:27with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,* 12:30 1Jn 5:20and with all your strength.* 12:30 Other mss add This is the first commandment.,* 12:30 Dt 6:4–5; Jos 22:5,* 12:30 Dt 6:4–5; Jos 22:531 The second is, Love your neighbor* 12:31 Lk 10:29as yourself.* 12:31 Lv 19:18,* 12:31 Lv 19:18; 1Jn 4:21There is no other command* 12:31 Mk 7:8greater than these."

32 Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one  * 12:32 Rm 3:30 else except him.  * 12:32 Dt 4:35,39; 6:4; Is 37:20; 43:10; 44:6; 45:2133 And to love  * 12:33 Lk 6:35 him with all your heart, with all your understanding,  * 12:33 Other mss add with all your soul and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices."  * 12:33 1Sm 15:22; Ps 51:16; Hs 6:6; Am 5:22; Mc 6:6–8

34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."* 12:34 Mk 1:15 And no one dared  * 12:34 Lk 20:40 to question him any longer.

35 While  * 12:35–37 Mt 22:41–46; Lk 20:41–44 Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked,  * 12:35 Ac 21:26"How can the scribes* 12:35 Mt 2:4say that the Messiah* 12:35 Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2is the son of David?* 12:35 2Ch 1:1; Mt 1:1; Rm 1:336 David* 12:36 Lk 1:27himself says by the Holy Spirit:* 12:36 Jn 1:33; Ac 19:21

The Lord* 12:36 Lk 17:5declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand* 12:36 Mt 20:21

until I put your enemies under your feet.’* 12:36 Ps 110:1,* 12:36 Ps 110:1

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son? " And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

38 He  * 12:38–40 Mt 23:1–36; Lk 20:45–47 also said in his teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes* 12:38 Rv 7:14and who want greetings in the marketplaces,* 12:38 Mk 6:5639 the best seats* 12:39 Lk 11:43in the synagogues,* 12:39 Jms 2:2and the places of honor* 12:39 Lk 14:7–8at banquets.* 12:39 Jn 13:240 They devour* 12:40 Gl 5:15widows’* 12:40 Jms 1:27houses and say long prayers* 12:40 Mt 5:44; Ac 12:12just for show. These will receive harsher judgment."

41 Sitting  * 12:41–44 Lk 21:1–4 across from the temple treasury,  * 12:41 Jn 8:20 he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich  * 12:41 Gn 24:35; Rv 2:9 people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poor  * 12:42 Mk 14:7 widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples,  * 12:43 Mt 9:10; Mk 10:10; Lk 6:1; Jn 6:3; Ac 6:1 he said to them, "Truly I tell you,* 12:43 Ps 72:19; Rv 22:21this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.* 12:43 Jn 8:2044 For they all gave out of their surplus,* 12:44 1Co 15:58but she out of her poverty* 12:44 Php 4:11has put in everything she had* 12:44 Lk 15:12— all she had to live on."* 12:44 1Jn 3:17