Jesus goes to the Temple

45. Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to drive out the merchants, 46 saying to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”

47. Every day Jesus taught in the Temple. The chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the leaders of the people wanted to kill him, 48 but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people kept listening to him, not wanting to miss a single word.

Chapter - 20 The Question about Jesus’ Authority

1. One day when Jesus was in the Temple teaching the people and preaching the Good News, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, 2 came and said to him, “Tell us, what right have you to do these things? Who gave you this right?”

3. Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me, 4 did John’s right to baptize come from God or from man?”

5. They started to argue among them-selves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 6 But if we say ‘From man,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it came from.”

8. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

9. Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, let it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own son; surely they will respect him!’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.