Matthew 14:25-21:46 During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.

BSB⁽ⁱ⁾ ²⁵ During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ “Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” ³² And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!” ³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him ³⁶ and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed. ¹⁵ ¹ Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” ³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ⁶ he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ⁸ ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. ⁹ They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’” ¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” ¹² Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” ¹³ But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. ¹⁴ Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷ “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.” ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” ²³ But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. ²⁶ But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” ²⁸ “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. ²⁹ Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down. ³⁰ Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them. ³¹ The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.” ³³ The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?” ³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” ³⁵ And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children. ³⁹ After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. ¹⁶ ¹ Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away. ⁵ When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.” ⁸ Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. ²¹ From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” ²³ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ²⁴ Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” ¹⁷ ¹ After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror. ⁷ Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” ⁸ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. ⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist. ¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. ¹⁹ Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” ²⁰ “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ²¹ ²² When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. ²³ They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved. ²⁴ After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” ²⁵ “Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” ²⁶ “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared. ²⁷ “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.” ¹⁸ ¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. ³ “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. ⁶ But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. ¹⁰ See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. ¹¹ ¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴ In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.” ²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! ²³ Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. ²⁵ Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. ²⁶ Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him. ²⁸ But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master. ³² Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. ³⁵ That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” ¹⁹ ¹ When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. ³ Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” ⁴ Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” ⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” ⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.” ¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ “Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” ¹³ Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there. ¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” ¹⁷ “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁰ “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” ²² When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. ²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ²⁷ “Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. ²⁰ ¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. ³ About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. ⁶ About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked. ⁷ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’ ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’ ⁹ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” ¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said, ¹⁸ “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death ¹⁹ and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.” ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. ²¹ “What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” ²² “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. ²³ “You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.” ²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” ²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. ³⁰ And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” ³¹ The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” ³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked. ³³ “Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.” ³⁴ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him. ²¹ ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ⁵ “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” ⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. ⁸ A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰ When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” ¹¹ The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” ¹² Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. ¹³ And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” ¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” ¹⁶ “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?” ¹⁷ Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night. ¹⁸ In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered. ²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” ²¹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” ²³ When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?” ²⁴ “I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁸ But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ²⁹ ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. ³³ Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. ³⁴ When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. ³⁵ But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁴³ Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” ⁴⁵ When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.