10
"At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to obtain from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard. But the workers beat the servant and sent him back with nothing.
11
So he sent a different servant. The workers beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him back with nothing.
12
Then he sent a third servant. But they injured this one and threw him out [of the vineyard].
13
"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What should I do? I'll send my son, whom I love. They'll probably respect him.'
14
"When the workers saw him, they talked it over among themselves. They said, 'This is the heir. Let's kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.'
15
So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16
He will destroy these workers and give the vineyard to others." Those who heard him said, "That's unthinkable!"
17
Then Jesus looked straight at them and asked, "What, then, does this Scripture verse mean: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?
18
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken. If that stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person."
19
The scribes and the chief priests wanted to arrest him right there, but they were afraid of the people. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them.
20
So they watched for an opportunity to send out some spies. The spies were to act like sincere religious people. They wanted to catch him saying the wrong thing so that they could hand him over to the governor.
21
They asked him, "Teacher, we know that you're right in what you say and teach. Besides, you don't play favorites. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully.
22
Is it right for us to pay taxes to the emperor or not?"
23
He saw through their scheme, so he said to them,
24
"Show me a coin. Whose face and name is this?" They answered, "The emperor's."
25
He said to them, "Well, then give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God."
26
They couldn't make him say anything wrong in front of the people. His answer surprised them, so they said no more.
27
Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him,
28
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.'
29
There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children.
30
Then the second brother married the widow,