12Then Jesus started telling them stories. "A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip.G2532G756G3004G846G1722G3850G444G5452G290G2532G4060G5418G2532G3736G5276G2532G3618G4444G2532G1554G846G1554G1092G2532G5892At the time for harvest, he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect his profits.G2532G2540G649G4314G1092G1401G2443G2983G3844G1092G575G2590G2903"They grabbed him, beat him up, and sent him off empty-handed.G1161G2983G1194G846G2532G649G27564So he sent another servant. That one they tarred and feathered.G2532G3825G649G4314G846G243G1401G2548G3036G2775G2532G649G8215He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many others. Some they beat up, some they killed.G2532G3825G649G243G2548G615G2532G4183G243G3303G1194G1161G6156"Finally there was only one left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, 'Surely they will respect my son.'G2192G2089G3767G1520G5207G846G27G649G846G2532G2078G4314G846G3004G3754G1788G3450G52077"But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.'G1161G1565G1092G2036G4314G1438G3754G3778G2076G2818G1205G615G846G2532G2817G2071G22578They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him over the fence.G2532G2983G846G615G2532G1544G1854G2909"What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the vineyard to others.G5101G4160G3767G2962G290G4160G2064G2532G622G1092G2532G1325G290G24310Read it for yourselves in Scripture: That stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone!G314G3761G314G5026G1124G3037G3739G3618G593G3778G1096G1519G2776G113711This is God's work; we rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!"G3778G1096G2962G1096G3844G2532G2076G2298G1722G2257G378812They wanted to lynch him then and there but, intimidated by public opinion, held back. They knew the story was about them. They got away from there as fast as they could.G2532G2212G2902G846G2532G5399G3793G1063G1097G3754G2036G3850G4314G846G2532G863G846G56513They sent some Pharisees and followers of Herod to bait him, hoping to catch him saying something incriminating.G2532G649G4314G846G5100G5330G2532G2265G2443G64G846G305614They came up and said, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don't pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"G1161G2064G3004G846G1320G1492G3754G1488G227G2532G4671G3756G3199G4012G3762G1063G991G3756G1519G4383G444G235G1321G3598G2316G1909G225G1832G1325G2778G2541G2228G375615He knew it was a trick question, and said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and let me look at it."G1325G2228G3361G1325G1161G1492G846G5272G2036G846G5101G3985G3165G5342G3427G1220G2443G149216They handed him one. "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?" "Caesar," they said.G1161G5342G2532G3004G846G5101G3778G1504G2532G1923G1161G2036G846G254117Jesus said, "Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his." Their mouths hung open, speechless.G2532G2424G611G2036G846G591G2541G3588G2541G2532G2316G3588G2316G2532G2296G1909G84618Some Sadducees, the party that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked,G2532G2064G4314G846G4523G3748G3004G1511G3361G386G2532G1905G846G300419"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children.G1320G3475G1125G2254G3754G1437G5100G80G599G2532G2641G1135G2532G863G3361G5043G2443G846G80G2983G846G1135G2532G1817G4690G846G8020Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless.G2258G2033G80G2532G4413G2983G1135G2532G599G863G3756G469021The second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third.G2532G1208G2983G846G2532G599G2532G3761G863G846G4690G2532G5154G561522All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died.G2532G2033G2983G846G2532G863G3756G4690G2078G3956G1135G599G253223When they are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her husband."G1722G386G3767G3752G450G5101G1135G2071G846G1063G2033G2192G846G113524Jesus said, "You're way off base, and here's why: One, you don't know your Bibles; two, you don't know how God works.G2532G2424G611G2036G846G4105G3756G1223G5124G4105G1492G3361G1124G3366G1411G231625After the dead are raised up, we're past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.G1063G3752G450G1537G3498G3777G1060G3777G1061G235G1526G5613G32G3588G1722G377226And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don't you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, 'I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?G1161G4012G3498G3754G1453G314G3756G314G1722G976G3475G5613G1909G942G2316G2036G846G3004G1473G2316G11G2532G2316G2464G2532G2316G238427The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You're way, way off base."G2076G3756G2316G3498G235G2316G2198G5210G3767G4105G4183G410528One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: "Which is most important of all the commandments?"G2532G1520G1122G4334G191G846G4802G1492G3754G611G846G2573G1905G846G4169G2076G4413G1785G395629Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one;G1161G2424G611G846G3754G4413G3956G1785G191G2474G2962G2257G2316G2076G1520G296230so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.'G2532G25G2962G4675G2316G1537G3650G4675G2588G2532G1537G3650G4675G5590G2532G1537G3650G4675G1271G2532G1537G3650G4675G2479G3778G4413G178531And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."G2532G1208G3664G3778G846G25G4675G4139G5613G4572G2076G3756G243G1785G3187G513032The religion scholar said, "A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other.G2532G1122G2036G846G2573G1320G2036G1909G225G3754G2076G1520G2316G2532G2076G3756G243G4133G84633And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!"G2532G25G846G1537G3650G2588G2532G1537G3650G4907G2532G1537G3650G5590G2532G1537G3650G2479G2532G25G4139G5613G1438G2076G4119G3956G3646G2532G237834When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, "You're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom." After that, no one else dared ask a question.G2532G2424G1492G3754G846G611G3562G2036G846G1488G3756G3112G575G932G2316G2532G3762G3765G5111G1905G84635While he was teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, "How is it that the religion scholars say that the Messiah is David's 'son,'G2532G2424G611G3004G1321G1722G2411G4459G3004G1122G3754G5547G2076G5207G113836when we all know that David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, God said to my Master, "Sit here at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."G1063G1138G846G2036G1722G40G4151G2962G2036G3450G2962G2521G1537G3450G1188G2193G302G5087G4675G2190G4675G5286G422837"David here designates the Messiah 'my Master'—so how can the Messiah also be his 'son'?" The large crowd was delighted with what they heard.G1138G3767G846G3004G846G2962G2532G4159G2076G846G5207G2532G4183G3793G191G846G223438He continued teaching. "Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery,G2532G3004G846G1722G846G1322G991G575G1122G3588G2309G4043G1722G4749G2532G783G1722G5839basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function.G2532G4410G1722G4864G2532G4411G1722G117340And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they'll pay for it in the end."G2719G5503G3614G2532G4392G4336G3117G4336G3778G2983G4055G291741Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions.G2532G2424G2523G2713G1049G2334G4459G3793G906G5475G1519G1049G2532G4183G4145G906G418342One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents.G2532G2064G3391G4434G5503G906G1417G3016G3603G283543Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.G2532G4341G846G3101G3004G846G281G3004G5213G3754G3778G4434G5503G906G4119G906G3956G906G1519G104944All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."G1063G3956G906G1537G846G4052G1161G3778G846G1537G846G5304G906G3956G3745G2192G3650G846G979
Dublin, OH
