And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter…said unto Jesus, "Master, see, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away."

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!"

And Jesus answering said unto them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say unto you, if you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea’; it shall be done. And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. Therefore I say unto you, what things…you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.

"And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as Jesus taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, and spoke unto him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority do you these things? Or who is he that gave you this authority?"

And Jesus answered and said unto them, "I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?"

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we shall say, ‘From heaven’; he will say, ‘Why then believed you him not?’ But and if we say, ‘Of men’; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet." And they answered, that they could not tell from where it was.

And Jesus said unto them, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think you? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’

"The son answered and said, ‘I will not’: but afterward he repented, and went. And the man came to the second, and said likewise.

"And the second answered and said, ‘I go, sir’: and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

The chief priests, scribes and elders said unto him, "The first."

Jesus said unto them, "Truly I say unto you, that the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not: but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him: and you, when you had seen it, repented not afterward, that you might believe him.

"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into a far country.

"And when the time of the fruit drew near, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the tenants 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 likewise. But last of all the landowner sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’

"But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’ And they caught him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do unto those tenants?"

The chief priests, scribes and elders said unto Jesus, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other tenants, which shall give him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus said unto them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, ‘the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’

"Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard Jesus parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. But when they wanted to lay hands on him, they feared the crowd, because the people took him for a prophet.

And Jesus answered and spoke unto them again by parables, and said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call them that were invited to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are invited, behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fattened livestock are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.’

"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and treated them spitefully, and killed them.

"But when the king heard of it, he was angry: and he sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then said he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were invited were not worthy. Go you therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite to the marriage.’ So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he said unto him, ‘Friend, how came you in here not having a wedding garment?’ And the man was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.’ "

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Jesus in his talk. And they watched him, and sent out spies, which should pretend themselves just men, that they might take hold of Jesus’ words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

And the spies asked him, saying, "Master, we know that you say and teach rightly, neither favor you the person of any, but teach the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?"

But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, "Why test you me? Show me a silver coin. Whose image and superscription has it?"

They answered and said, "Caesar's."

And Jesus said unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace.

The same day came to him the Sadducees, (which say that there is no resurrection,) and asked him, saying, "Master, Moses said, ‘If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.’ Now there were with us seven brothers: and the first, when he had married a wife, died, and, having no children, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her."

Jesus answered and said unto them, "You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

But when the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Jesus a question, testing him, and saying, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

Jesus said unto him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

And the scribe said unto him, "Well said, Master, you have spoken the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

And when Jesus saw that the lawyer answered discreetly, he said unto him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What think you of Christ? Whose son is he?"

They said unto him, "The Son of David."

Jesus said unto them, "How then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, "Sit you on my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool?" ’ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" And no man was able to answer him a word, neither dared any man from that day on ask him any more questions.

Then spoke Jesus to the crowd, and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatever they tell you observe, that observe and do; but do not you after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries*, and enlarge the borders of their clothes, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But be not you called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all you are brothers. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be you called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

* Phylacteries are small square leather boxes the men of Israel fastened to their left hands and foreheads during morning worship. They contained strips of parchment inscribed with quotations from the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch. Exodus 13:1-10; 13:11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21.

* At the time of Moses, God commanded the Israelites to border their clothes with a strip of blue reminding them to keep His commandments. Numbers 15:38-40.

REFERENCES

Mark 11:20-21: Matthew 21:20; Mark 11:22-23; Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24-26; Luke 20:1-8; Matthew 21:28-46; Matthew 22:1-15; Luke 20:20-26; Matthew 22:23-40; Mark 12:32-34; Matthew 22:41-46; Matthew 23:1-10.

CHAPTER 83