PHARISEES QUESTION HIS AUTHORITY--PARABLE OF THE HOUSEHOLDER AND HIS VINEYARD.
And they come again to Jerusalem: and it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority to do these things?
I will also ask of you one question, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? answer me.
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men: all the people will stone us: for all _men_ counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
But what think ye? A _certain_ man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I _go_, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of _his_ father?
They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 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 had seen _it_, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country, for a long time. And at the season when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And the husbandmen caught _him_, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded _him_ in the head, and entreated _him_ shamefully, and sent _him_ away empty. And again he sent a third: and him they killed, and cast _him_ out. And many others; beating some, and killing some.