And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

TUESDAY--THE DAY OF CONTROVERSY

THE LESSON FROM THE WITHERED FIG TREE.

And as they pa.s.sed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, "Rabbi, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away."

And Jesus answering saith unto them, "Have faith in G.o.d. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, 'Be thou taken up and cast into the sea'; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pa.s.s; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespa.s.ses."

THE CHALLENGE OF CHRIST'S AUTHORITY.

And they came again to Jerusalem. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple to hear him. And as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders; and they spake, saying unto him, "Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things?

or who is he that gave thee this authority?"

And Jesus answered, and said unto them, "I also will ask you one question, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men?"

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we shall say, 'From heaven'; he will say unto us, 'Why did ye not believe him?' But if we shall say, 'From men'; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."

And they answered Jesus, and said, "We know not."

And Jesus said unto them, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things."

THREE WARNING PARABLES.

THE TWO SONS.

"But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work to-day in the vineyard.' And he answered and said, 'I will not': but afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir': and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

They say, "The first."

Jesus saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of G.o.d before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward that ye might believe him."

THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.

"Hear another parable: There was a man who was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner. But afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.' But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.' And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?"

They say unto him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus saith unto them, "Did ye never read in the scriptures,

'The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvellous in our eyes'?

"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of G.o.d shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust."

And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. And when they sought to lay hold on him, they feared the mult.i.tudes, because they took him for a prophet.

THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON.

And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, 'Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come to the marriage feast.' But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then saith he to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast.'

And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, 'Friend, how earnest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the outer darkness'; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen."

THREE HOSTILE QUESTIONS ASKED OF JESUS.

TRIBUTE TO CaeSAR.

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. And they send to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of G.o.d in truth, and carest not for any one: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?"

But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said, "Why make ye trial of me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money."

And they brought unto him a denarius. And he saith unto them, "Whose is this image and superscription?"

They say unto him, "Caesar's."

Then he saith unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto G.o.d the things that are G.o.d's."

And when they heard it, they marvelled, and left him, and went away.

THE QUESTION OF THE RESURRECTION.

And there came to him certain of the Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, that if a man's brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died childless; and the second; and the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had her to wife."

And Jesus said unto them, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of G.o.d. The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of G.o.d, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the Bush, when he calleth the Lord the G.o.d of Abraham, and the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob. Now he is not the G.o.d of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him."

And when the mult.i.tudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT.

And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, "What commandment is the first of all?"

Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our G.o.d, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.' The second is this, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' There is none other commandment greater than these."

And the scribe said unto him, "Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one: and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices."

And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of G.o.d."