believe him?' But if we say 'human,' we are afraid of the 26 people, for every one regards John as a Prophet." ་་ 27 So the answer they gave Jesus was— We do not know." "Then I," he said, "refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things. What do you think of this? There 28 was a man who had two sons. He went to the elder and said 'Go and work in the vineyard to-day, my son.' Parable of the two Sons. 'Yes, sir,' he answered; but he did not go. went to the second son, and said the same. answered; but afterwards he was sorry and of the two sons did as his father wished?" "The second," they said. Then the father 29, I will not,' he' went. Which 31 For 32 "I tell you," added Jesus, "that tax-gatherers and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God before you. when John came to you, walking in the path of righteousness, you did not believe him, but tax-gatherers and prostitutes did; and yet you, though you saw this, even then were not sorry, nor did you believe him. A man, who 33 Parable Listen to another parable. of the wicked was an employer, once planted a vineyard, put a Tenants. fence round it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad. When 34 the time for the vintage drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive his share of the produce. But the tenants 35 seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. A second time the owner sent some servants, a larger 36 number than before, and the tenants treated them in the same way. As a last resource he sent his son to them. 'They will 37 respect my son,' he said. But the tenants, on seeing his son, 38 said to each other 'Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, and threw 39 him outside the vineyard, and killed him. Now, when the 40 owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" ་ "Miserable wretches!" they exclaimed, "he will put them 41 to a miserable death, and he will let out the vineyard to other tenants, who will pay him his share of the produce at the proper times." Then Jesus added: “Have you never read in the Scriptures?- 42 'The very stone which the builders despised— And that, I tell you, is why the Kingdom of God will be 43 taken from you, and given to a nation that does produce 38 Isa. 5. 1-2. 42 Ps. 118. 22. the fruit of the Kingdom. 46 After listening to these parables, the Chief Priests and the 45 Pharisees saw that it was about them that he was speaking; yet, although eager to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who regarded him as a Prophet. Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables. Parable of the Marriage I 22 2 "The Kingdom of Heaven," he said, "may be compared to a king who gave a banquet in honour of his son's wedding. He sent his 3 Feast. servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet, but they were unwilling to come. A second time he 4 sent some servants, with orders to say to those who had been invited 'I have prepared my breakfast, my cattle and fat beasts are killed and everything is ready; come to the banquet.' They, however, took no notice, but went off, one to his farm, 5 another to his business; while the rest, seizing his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king, in anger, sent 7 his troops, put those murderers to death, and set their city on fire. Then he said to his servants 'The banquet is pre- 8 pared, but those who were invited were not worthy. So 9 go to the cross-roads, and invite every one you find to the banquet.' The servants went out into the roads and collected all the people whom they found, whether bad or good; and the bridal-hall was filled with guests. But, when the king went in to see his guests, he noticed there a man who had not put on a wedding-robe. So he said to him 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding-robe?' The man was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants 'Tie him hand and foot, and 'put him out into the darkness' outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' For 14 many are called, but few chosen." A Question about ΙΟ II 12 13 Then the Pharisees went away and conferred 15 together as to how they might lay a snare for Tribute. Jesus in the course of conversation. their disciples, with the Herodians, to say to him : They sent "Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and that you teach the Way of God honestly, and are not afraid of any one; for you pay no regard to a man's position. Tell us, then, what you think. Are we right in paying taxes to the Emperor, or not?" Perceiving their malice, Jesus answered : 16 17 18 "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin with which the tax is paid." 19 And, when they had brought him a florin, he asked: 'Whose head and title are these?" 13 Enoch 10. 4. 20 888 "The Emperor's," they answered: on which he said to 21 them : Then pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and to God what belongs to God." They wondered at his answer, and left him alone and went 22 away. A Question That same day some Sadducees came up to about the Jesus, maintaining that there is no resurrection. Resurrection. Their question was this : Teacher, Moses said-- : 'Should a man die without children, the man's brother shall become the husband of the widow, and raise a family for his brother.' 23 24 25 26 27 Now we had living among us seven brothers; of whom the eldest married and died, and, as he had no family, left his wife for his brother. The same thing happened to the second and the third brothers, and indeed to all the seven. The woman herself died last of all. At the resurrection, then, whose 28 wife will she be out of the seven, all of them having had her? "Your mistake," replied Jesus, "is due to your ignorance of 29 the Scriptures, and of the power of God. For at the resurrection there is no marrying or being married, but all who rise are as angels in Heaven. As to the resurrection of the dead, 31 have you not read these words of God-- 30 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the 32 God of Jacob'? He is not the God of dead men, but of living." The crowds, who had been listening to him, were greatly 33 struck with his teaching. The Great When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had 34 Command- silenced the Sadducees, they collected together. ment. Then one of them, a Student of the Law, to test 35 him, asked this question "Teacher, what is the great commandment in the Law?" His answer was: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' 36 37 This is the great first commandment. The second, which 38, 39 is like it, is this 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thou dost thyself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the 40 Prophets." 24 Deut. 25. 5. 32 Exod. 3. 6. 37 Deut. 6. 5. 39 Lev. 19. 18. Christ Before the Pharisees separated, Jesus put this 41 the Son of question to them- What do you think about the Christ? Whose 42 "David's," they said. "How is it, then," Jesus replied, under inspiration, calls him ‘lord,' in the passage— "that David, speaking 43 44 'The Lord said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, 46 Since, then, David calls him 'lord,' how is he David's son?" 45 Then Jesus, speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said: the Law. I 23 2 "The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees Warnings against the now occupy the chair of Moses. Therefore Teachers of practise and lay to heart everything that they tell you, but do not follow their example, for they preach but do not practise. While they make up heavy loads 4 and pile them on other men's shoulders, they decline, themselves, to lift a finger to move them. All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels, and like to have the place 6 of honour at dinner, and the best seats in the Synagogues, and 7 to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called 'Rabbi' by everybody. But do not you allow yourselves to be 8 called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Teacher, and you yourselves are all Brothers. And do not call any one on the earth 9 your Father,' for you have only one Father, the heavenly Father. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ. The man who would be the greatest among you must be your servant. ever shall exalt himself will be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself will be exalted. ་ Jesus IO ΙΙ Who- 12 But alas for you, Teachers of the Law and 14 denounces Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the Pharisees. the key of the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces. For you do not go in yourselves, nor yet allow those who try to go in to do so. Alas for you, Teachers of the Law 15 and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he is gained, you make him twice as deserving of the Pit as you are yourselves. Alas for you, you blind guides! You 16 say 'If any one swears by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his 44 Ps. 110. I. oath is binding on him'! Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? the gold? or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold? You say, too, 'If any one swears by the altar, his oath counts for nothing, but, if any one swears by the offering placed on it, his oath is binding on him'! Blind indeed! Which is the more important? the offering? or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering? Therefore a man, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it, and a man, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it, while a man, swearing by Heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. 22 23 25 27 20 Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and carraway-seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law-justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first. You blind guides, 24 to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel ! Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and selfindulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of 26 the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You are like white-washed tombs, which indeed look fair outside, while inside they are filled with dead men's bones and all kinds of filth. It 28 is the same with you. Outwardly, and to others, you have the look of religious men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin. Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You build the tombs of the Prophets, and decorate the monuments of religious men, and say 'Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken no part in their murder of the Prophets!' By doing this you are furnishing evidence against 31 yourselves that you are true children of the men who murdered the Prophets. Fill up the measure of your ancestors' guilt. You serpents and brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to the Pit? That is why I send you Prophets, wise 34 men, and Teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from town to town; in order that upon 35 your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood spilt on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! she who slays the 37 Jesus laments 35 Enoch 9. 1. 29 30 32 33 36 |