21 21.

happen. And everything whatever you shall ask in prayer believing you will receive."

He went into the temple.

As he was teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him, and said :

66

By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?"

"I, myself, will ask you one thing," Jesus answered them, "and if you tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. The purification of John, where was it from? From heaven, or from men?"

They discussed among themselves, and said: "If we say, From heaven, he will say to us, Why, then, did you not believe him? But if we say, From men, we are afraid of the crowd, for all of

them consider John as a prophet."

swered Jesus, and said:

"We do not know."

So they an

"Nor do I tell you by what authority I am

doing these things.

man had two sons.

said:

But what do you think? A

And he came to the first, and

Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.

Yes, sir, he answered, but he did not go.

He came to the other and said to him the same

thing.

21: 30.

I will not, he answered, but afterwards he changed his mind and went.

Which of the two did the will of his father?" "The last," they say.

"To tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "the saloon-keepers and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of your own religious prejudices and you did not believe him. But the saloon-keepers and the prostitutes believed him. And when you saw it you did not change your mind afterwards so that you might believe him.

Listen to another illustration:

There was a man who was an employer.

He planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, let it out to tenants and went abroad.

But when the time for the crops came near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his crops. And the tenants took his slaves, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

Again he sent other slaves more than the first, and they treated them the same way.

At last he sent his son to them, and said :

They will respect my son :

But when the tenants saw the son they said to each other:

This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.

And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

So when the owner of the vineyard comes what will he do to those tenants ? "

"He will miserably destroy them," they say to him, "and give the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him the crops at the proper time." "Have you never read in the scriptures," Jesus said to them,

"The stone which the builders rejected,

This was made the head of the corner,

This was from the Lord,

And it was marvellous in our eyes?

So I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruits. And he who falls on this stone will be broken. But on whomever it shall fall it will scatter him as dust."

And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they noticed that he was speaking about them. And when they tried to lay hold on him they were afraid of the crowds because they considered him to be a prophet.

Jesus answered and again spoke to them in illustrations:

22 2.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a king who made a marriage-feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who were invited to the feast, and they did not want to come. He again sent out other slaves, and said:

Tell those who are invited, See, my dinner has been made ready. My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the feast.

But they made light of it and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his slaves, treated them shamefully and killed them.

But the king was angry and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Then he said to his slaves:

The marriage is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to the corners and as many as you shall find invite to the feast.

Those slaves went out to the roads and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding room was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to look at the guests he saw there a man who had no wedding garment on. And he said to him:

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment ?

22 12.

But he was speechless.

Then the king said to the slaves:

Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into

the outside darkness.

and gnashing of teeth.

few chosen."

There will be the weeping

For many are invited but

Then the Pharisees went and laid a plot to catch him in his talk. And they sent their disciples with the Herodians to him:

"Master," they said, "we know you are true and are teaching the way of God truly, and you care for no one, for you do not look at the external appearance of men. So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay tribute to Cæsar or

not?"

But Jesus noticed their wickedness, and said: "Why are you tempting me, you hypocrites? Show me the tribute money."

They brought him a Roman coin.

"Whose is this likeness and inscription?" "Cæsar's."

"Then give back what is Cæsar's to Cæsar and what is God's to God."

When they heard this they wondered and left him and went away.

That day the Sadducees came to him, those who