Luke 20:1-12 ▼

1 One day, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple and telling them the good news, the high priests and the scribes came with the elders

2 and asked him, |Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?|

3 He answered them, |I, too, will ask you a question. Tell me:

4 Was John's authority to baptize from heaven or from humans?|

5 They discussed this among themselves: |If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'

6 But if we say, 'From humans,' all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.|

7 So they answered that they didn't know where it was from.

8 Then Jesus told them, |Then I won't tell you by what authority I'm doing these things.|

9 Then he began to tell the people this parable: |A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went abroad for a long time.

10 At the right time he sent a servant to the farmers in order to get his share of the produce of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him back empty-handed.

11 He sent another servant, and they beat him, too, treated him shamefully, and sent him back empty-handed.

12 Then he sent a third, and they wounded him and threw him out, too.