It happened on one of those days, as ‘ISA1 was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the Injil 2, that the priests and scribes came to him with the elders. 2They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”
3‘ISA answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: 4the baptism of Yahya3, was it from heaven, or from men?”
5They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that Yahya was a prophet.” 7They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.
8‘ISA said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
9He began to tell the people this parable. “A man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. 10At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty. 11He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out. 13The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’
14“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15They threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard it, they said, “May that never be!”
17But he looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written,
‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner’ 4 ?
18“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”
19The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them. 20They watched him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. 21They asked him, “Teacher, we know that you say and teach what is right, and aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. 22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
23But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test me? 24Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.”
25He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26They weren’t able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer, and were silent. 27Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. 28They asked him, “Teacher, Musa wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up children for his brother.5 29There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. 30The second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. 32Afterward the woman also died. 33Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”
34‘ISA said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage. 35But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. 36For they cannot die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37But that the dead are raised, even Musa showed at the bush, when he called the Lord:
‘The God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub.’ 6
38Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
39Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.” 40They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions.
41He said to them, “Why do they say that AL-MASIH7 is Dawud’s son? 42Dawud himself says in the Book of the Zabur,
‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 43until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ 8
44“Dawud therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
45In the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, 46“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts; 47who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”
- 20:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 20:1 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH. ↩︎ - 20:4 Yahya, this Arabic name and the English name John (for John the Baptist/Baptizer) are both derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which means “YAHWEH is gracious”. (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 20:17 Quoting the Zabur 118:22 which says: The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. ↩︎
- 20:28 Citing the provision in the Taurat, Deuteronomy 25:5-6 which says: If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. It shall be, that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel. ↩︎
- 20:37 Quoting the Taurat, Exodus 3:6 where Prophet Musa first encounters God at the burning bush. Exodus 3:4-6 says: When YAHWEH saw that Musa turned aside to see, God called to Musa out of the midst of the bush, and said, “Musa! Musa!” He said, “Here I am.” God said, “Do not come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover he said, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub.” Musa hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God. ↩︎
- 20:41 MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 20:42-43 Quoting the Zabur 110:1 which says: YAHWEH said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ↩︎