Luke 20

¹On one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, the priests and scribes came to him with the elders.

²They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

³He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me:

⁴the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

⁵They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’

⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

⁷They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.

⁸Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

⁹He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time.

¹⁰At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty.

¹¹He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

¹²He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him and threw him out.

¹³The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’