SECT. CVI. JESUS SPEAKS AGAINST THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES. THE PARABLES OF THE TWO SONS, OF THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN, AND OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON.

And he began to speak to them in parables, saying, What think ? A certain man had two ye

Jerusalem.

sons; and coming to the first, he said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not; but afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went. And coming to the other, he said in like manner; and he answered and said, Í go, sir; and he went not. Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him, The first. Jesus saith to them, Amen I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of justice, and ye did not believe him; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; but ye, when ye had seen it, did not even afterwards repent, that ye might believe him.

Hear ye another parable. There was a man a householder, who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it, and dug in it a press, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen; and went into a strange country. And when the time of the fruits drew nigh he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits thereof; and the husbandmen, laying hands on his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the former; and they did to them in like manner and last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance. And they took him and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to him, He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and

will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in due season. And they said, God forbid. And he looked on them and said, What is this then that is written in the Scriptures? The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner! This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes (Ps. cxvii. 22). Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him. they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

And Jesus spake again to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come ye to the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise; and the rest laid hands on his servants, and, having treated them with insult, put them to death. But when the king heard of it, he was angry; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. Then saith he to his servants, The marriage indeed is ready, but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find call to the marriage. And his servants went forth into the ways, and gathered together all that they found, both bad and good; and the marriage was filled with guests. And the king

went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment. And he saith to him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding-garment? But he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: for many are called, but few are chosen.

SECT. CVII. THE QUESTION OF THE PHARISEES AND THE

HERODIANS.

Then the Pharisees went and consulted among themselves how to insnare him in his

Jerusalem. speech. And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians as spies, who should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they said unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth; neither carest thou for any man, for thou dost not regard the person of men: tell us therefore what dost thou think: is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar or not?*

But Jesus knowing their wickedness said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the coin of the tribute. And they offered him a penny. And Jesus saith to them, Whose image and inscription is this? They say to him, Cæsar's. Then he saith to them, Render therefore to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the

The Jews were forbidden (Deut. xvii. 15) to set a stranger over them as king; hence no zealous Jew, still less one that claimed to be the Messias, the great deliverer of the nation, could answer the Herodians' question in the affirmative; on the other hand, an answer in the negative would afford ground for a charge of sedition (see Luke xxiii. 2).

people; and they marvelled at his answer, and left him and went their way.

SECT. CVIII. THE QUESTION OF THE SADDUCEES.

The same day there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us,* that if any man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up seed to his brother. Now there were seven brethAnd the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue. And the second took her and died; and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner. And the seven all took her in like manner, and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

ren.

And Jesus answered and said to them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For the children of this world marry and are given in marriage; but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have ye not read in the book of Moses how in the bush God spake to him, saying,† I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live unto him. Ye do therefore greatly err. And the multitude were astonished at his doctrine.

* Deut. xxv. 5.

+ Exod. iii. 6.

SECT. CIX. THE SCRIBE'S QUESTION. OUR LORD'S QUESTION OF THE SON OF DAVID.

Jerusalem.

But when the Pharisees had heard that he put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. And one of them, who was a scribe, seeing that he had answered well, asked him a question tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength (Deut. vi. 5). This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Lev. xix. 18). There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

And the scribe said to him, Well, master, thou hast said truly that there is one God, and there is no other beside him; and that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as oneself is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices. And Jesus perceiving that he had answered wisely said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.

And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David's. He saith to them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord? For David himself said, by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool (Ps. cix. 1). If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.