Matthew 21

21:23  And when he was come into the temple¹, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things²? and who gave thee this authority?

21:24  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one question¹, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

21:25  The baptism of John, whence was it¹? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven²; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him?

21:26  But if we shall say, From men¹; we fear the multitude; for all hold John as a prophet.

21:27  And they answered Jesus, and said, We know not¹. He also said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

21:28  But what think ye¹? A man had two sons²; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in the vineyard.

21:29  And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went¹.

21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not¹.

21:31  Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first¹. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots² go into the kingdom of God before you³.

21:32  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.

The parable of this subdivision is the outgrowth of the precedingsubdivision. These rulers had demanded that Jesus show his authorityfor his assumption of right as teacher, prophet, etc. The parable is anindirect response to this demand, as if Jesus said, "It is in vain forme to tell you that I act under the authority of the Father, fordespite all your great profession to the contrary, you really andactually, in your persistent rejection of another (the Baptist), whoalso acted under it, repudiate utterly his authority; though in sodoing you see yourselves condemned by the conduct of even the publicansand harlots, who have felt the force of the Father's authority, andhave repentantly obeyed it". The situation must have given great forceto the parable, for the rulers in their private conversation had justadmitted to each other that the people recognized and obeyed the divineauthority of John, while they, the rulers, rejected it.

21:33  Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder¹, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country.

21:34  And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits.

21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one¹, and killed another, and stoned another.

21:37  But afterward he sent unto them his son¹, saying, They will reverence my son.

21:38  But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him¹, and take his inheritance.

21:39  And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him¹.

21:41  They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men¹, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected¹, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes?

21:44  And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust¹.

21:46  And when they sought to lay hold on him¹, they feared the multitudes, because they took him for a prophet.