Passage: Matthew 20, 21, 22 (RSV)


Matthew 20


1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place;
4and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.
5Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?'
7They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.'
8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,
12saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
13But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you.
15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'
16So the last will be first, and the first last."
17And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,
18"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,
19and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
20Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.
21And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."
22But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."
23He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
24And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
25But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
27and whoever would be first among you must be your slave;
28even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
29And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
30And behold, two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
31The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent; but they cried out the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
32And Jesus stopped and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?"
33They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
34And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Matthew 21


1And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth'phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.
3If any one says anything to you, you shall say, `The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately."
4This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5"Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass."
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;
7they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.
8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
10And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
11And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."
12And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
13He said to them, "It is written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers."
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant;
16and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, `Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?"
17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry.
19And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.
20When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"
21And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be done.
22And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
24Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?'
26But if we say, `From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet."
27So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'
29And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he repented and went.
30And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,' but did not go.
31Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
33"Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.
34When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit;
35and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them.
37Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.'
38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.'
39And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
41They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it."
44
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
46But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.

Matthew 22


1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,
2"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son,
3and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come.
4Again he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.'
5But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
9Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.'
10And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment;
12and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.
13Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'
14For many are called, but few are chosen."
15Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk.
16And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.
17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
19Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin.
20And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
21They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
22When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.
23The same day Sad'ducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question,
24saying, "Teacher, Moses said, `If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.'
25Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother.
26So too the second and third, down to the seventh.
27After them all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection, therefore, to which of the seven will she be wife? For they all had her."
29But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,
32`I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living."
33And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad'ducees, they came together.
35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him.
36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38This is the great and first commandment.
39And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."
43He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44`The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet'?
45If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?"
46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.



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