1 Un notika, kad Viņš kādā dienā Templī mācīja ļaudis un sludināja evaņģēliju, Viņam piestājās augstie priesteri un rakstu mācītāji kopā ar vecajiem 2 un jautāja Viņam: "Saki mums, ar kādām tiesībām Tu to dari, vai kas Tevi uz to ir pilnvarojis?" 3 Bet Viņš tiem atteica: "Arī Es jums vienu vārdu vaicāšu: 4 sakait man, Jāņa kristība - vai tā bija no debesīm vai no cilvēkiem?" 5 Bet tie savā starpā sāka spriest: "Ja mēs teiksim: no debesīm, - Viņš sacīs: kāpēc tad jūs viņam neticējāt? 6 Bet, ja mēs teiksim: no cilvēkiem, - visa tauta metīs uz mums akmeņus, jo viņa ir pārliecināta, ka Jānis ir pravietis." 7 Un tie atbildēja: "Mēs nezinām, no kurienes." 8 Tad Jēzus viņiem sacīja: "Tad arī Es jums nesaku, kā pilnvarā Es šīs lietas daru." 9 Bet ļaudīm Viņš sāka stāstīt šādu līdzību: "Kāds cilvēks stādīja vīnadārzu un izdeva to dārzniekiem, bet pats uz ilgāku laiku aizgāja dzīvot uz citurieni. 10 Kad bija pienācis laiks, viņš pie dārzniekiem sūtīja savu kalpu, lai viņi tam dotu no vīnadārza augļiem. Bet tie to sita un aizsūtīja tukšām rokām atpakaļ. 11 Tad viņš nosūtīja otru kalpu, bet arī šo viņi sita, apsmēja un sūtīja atpakaļ tukšā. 12 Vēl trešo viņš sūtīja. Bet arī šo tie sasita līdz asinīm un izmeta ārā. 13 Tad vīnadārza īpašnieks sacīja: ko man darīt? Es sūtīšu savu mīļo dēlu, varbūt tie viņu bīsies. 14 Bet dārznieki, to ieraudzījuši, sprieda savā starpā: šis ir tas mantinieks. Nokausim to, lai viņa mantojums nāk mūsu rokās. 15 Un viņi to izmeta ārā no vīnadārza un nokāva. Ko nu gan darīs viņiem vīnadārza īpašnieks? 16 Viņš nāks, nomaitās šos dārzniekus un vīnadārzu izdos citiem." Klausītāji sacīja: "To tik ne." 17 Bet Viņš tos uzlūkoja un sacīja: "Kā tad ir rakstīts: akmens, kuru namdari atmetuši, kļuvis par stūra akmeni. 18 Ikviens, kas uz to kritīs, sašķīdīs, bet, uz ko tas kritīs, to tas sadragās." 19 Bet rakstu mācītāji un augstie priesteri, kas saprata, ka Viņš līdzību bija teicis par viņiem, no tā brīža centās pielikt rokas pie Viņa. Bet tiem bija bailes no tautas. 20 Tad tie glūnēja uz Viņu un sūtīja izlūkus, kam vajadzēja izlikties nevainīgiem, lai tie Viņu pieķertu kādā vārdā un To varētu nodot valdībai un zemes soģa varai. 21 Tie griezās pie Viņa ar šādu jautājumu: "Mācītāj, mēs zinām, ka Tu runā un māci pareizi un negribi iztapt cilvēkiem, bet pēc patiesības māci Dieva ceļu. 22 Saki, vai mums ir brīv ķeizaram nodevas dot vai ne?" 23 Bet Viņš noprata viņu viltību un sacīja tiem: 24 "Parādait Man vienu denāriju! Kā attēls un uzraksts tam ir?" Viņi atbildēja: "Ķeizara." 25 Tad Viņš tiem atbildēja: "Tad nu dodiet ķeizaram, kas ķeizaram pieder, un Dievam, kas Dievam pieder!" 26 Tā viņiem neizdevās To noķert Viņa vārdos tautas priekšā, un, izbrīnījušies par Viņa atbildi, tie apklusa. 27 Bet pienāca vēl kādi no saduķejiem, kas noliedz augšāmcelšanos, un griezās pie Viņa, 28 jautādami: "Mācītāj, Mozus mums devis priekšrakstu: ja kam nomirst brālis, atstādams sievu, un viņam nav bērnu, tam jāapprec brāļa sieva, lai radītu savam brālim pēcnācējus. 29 Bija septiņi brāļi. Pirmais apprecējās, bet nomira bez bērniem, 30 tad viņa sievu apprecēja otrs. 31 Un pēc tam trešais, tāpat visi līdz septītam, un tie visi mira, neatstādami bērnu. 32 Beidzot nomira arī sieva. 33 Kā sieva nu viņa būs pie augšāmcelšanās, kad viņa ir bijusi par sievu visiem septiņiem?" 34 Jēzus viņam atbildēja: "Šinī dzīvē ļaudis precē un tiek precēti, 35 bet, kas tiks atrasti par cienīgiem ieiet viņā dzīvē un uzcelties no nāves, ne tie precēs, ne tiks precēti. 36 Un arī mirt tie vairs nevar, jo viņi ir līdzīgi eņģeļiem un ir Dieva bērni, būdami augšāmcelšanās bērni. 37 Bet, ka mirušie celsies augšām, uz to arī Mozus aizrādījis stāstā par ērkšķu krūmu, kur viņš Dievu sauc par Ābrahāma, Īzāka un Jēkaba Dievu. 38 Tātad Dievs nav mirušo, bet dzīvo Dievs, jo Viņa priekšā visi ir dzīvi." 39 Tad kādi no rakstu mācītājiem sacīja: "Mācītāj, Tu labi esi atbildējis!" 40 Un viņi vairs neko neuzdrošinājās Viņam jautāt. 41 Bet Viņš tiem teica: "Kā var sacīt, Kristus esot Dāvida dēls? 42 Jo Dāvids pats saka psalmu grāmatā: Tas Kungs sacīja uz manu Kungu: sēdies pie Manas labās rokas, 43 tiekāms Es Tavus ienaidniekus lieku par pameslu Tavām kājām. 44 Tātad Dāvids Viņu sauc par Kungu; kā tad Viņš var būt viņa dēls?" 45 Un, visiem ļaudīm dzirdot, Viņš sacīja Saviem mācekļiem: 46 "Sargaities no rakstu mācītājiem, jo tie mīl apkārt staigāt garos svārkos un saņemt sveicienus tirgus laukumos un viņiem patīk ieņemt goda vietas sinagogās un viesībās. 47 Viņi apēd atraitņu namus, aizbildinādamies ar savām garajām lūgšanām. Viņi dabūs daudz smagāku sodu!"
The Question about Jesus' Authority
(Matthew 21.23-27Mark 11.27-33)1 One day when Jesus was in the Temple teaching the people and preaching the Good News, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came 2 and said to him, “Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me, 4 did John's right to baptize come from God or from human beings?”
5 They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered, “We don't know where it came from.”
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard
(Matthew 21.33-46Mark 12.1-12)9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Let's kill him, and his property will be ours!’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16 “He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.”
When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”
17 Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.’
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”
The Question about Paying Taxes
(Matthew 22.15-22Mark 12.13-17)19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people. 20 So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. 21 These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. 22 Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”
23 But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, 24 “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”
“The Emperor's,” they answered.
25 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”
26 There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.
The Question about Rising from Death
(Matthew 22.23-33Mark 12.18-27)27 Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said, 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man's brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man's children.’ 29 Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children. 30 Then the second one married the woman, 31 and then the third. The same thing happened to all seven—they died without having children. 32 Last of all, the woman died. 33 Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”
34 Jesus answered them, “The men and women of this age marry, 35 but the men and women who are worthy to rise from death and live in the age to come will not then marry. 36 They will be like angels and cannot die. They are the children of God, because they have risen from death. 37 And Moses clearly proves that the dead are raised to life. In the passage about the burning bush he speaks of the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is the God of the living, not of the dead, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the Law spoke up, “A good answer, Teacher!” 40 For they did not dare ask him any more questions.
The Question about the Messiah
(Matthew 22.41-46Mark 12.35-37)41 Jesus asked them, “How can it be said that the Messiah will be the descendant of David? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit here at my right side
43 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’
44 David called him ‘Lord’; how, then, can the Messiah be David's descendant?”
Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law
(Matthew 23.1-36Mark 12.38-40)45 As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; 47 who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!”
