Luke 20:1-12 ▼

1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,

2 and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

3 But He replied to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me:

4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

5 They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

7 And so they answered that they did not know where it came from.

8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

9 But He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

10 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

12 And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out.