Mark 11:27--12:12
The Authority of Jesus
11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders came up to him
11:28 and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”
11:29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:
11:30 John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from people? Answer me.”
11:31 They discussed with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
11:32 But if we say, ‘From people – ’” (they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet).
11:33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants
12:1 Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop.
12:3 But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
12:4 So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously.
12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed.
12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’
12:8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.
12:9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
12:10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
12:11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12:12 Now they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So they left him and went away.