The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (79 page)

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9
 And he began to tell the people
this parable
: "A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went into another country for a long while.
¹⁰
When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, that they should give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
¹¹
And he sent another servant; him also they beat and treated shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.
¹²
And he sent yet a third; this one they wounded and cast out.
¹³
Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will respect him.'
¹⁴
But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'
¹⁵
And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
¹⁶
He will come and destroy those tenants, and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "God forbid!"
¹⁷
But he looked at them and said, "
What then is this that is written
:

  
'The very stone which the builders rejected

  
has become the cornerstone'?

¹⁸
Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on any one it will crush him."

The Question about Paying Taxes

19
 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people; for they perceived that he had told this parable against them.
²⁰
So they watched him, and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might take hold of what he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of
the governor
.
²¹
They asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.
²²
Is it lawful
for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
²³
But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,
²⁴
"Show me
a coin
.
^f
Whose likeness and inscription has it?" They said, "Caesar's."
²⁵
He said to them, "Then render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's
."
²⁶
And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him by what he said; but marveling at his answer they were silent.

The Question about Man's Resurrection

27
 There came to him some
Sad'ducees
, those who say that there is no resurrection,
²⁸
and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man
^g
must take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
²⁹
Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children;
³⁰
and the second
³¹
and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
³²
Afterward the woman also died.
³³
In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

34
 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage;
³⁵
but those who are accounted worthy to attain to
that age
and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
³⁶
for they cannot die any more, because they are
equal to angels
and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
³⁷
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
 
*
³⁸
Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."
³⁹
And some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."
⁴⁰
For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

A Question about the Messiah

41
 But he said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is
David's son
?
⁴²
For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

  
'The Lord said to my Lord,

  
Sit at my right hand,

⁴³
till I make your enemies a stool for your feet.'

⁴⁴
David thus calls him Lord; so how is he his son?"

Jesus Denounces the Hypocrisy of the Scribes

45
 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,
⁴⁶
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and love salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,
⁴⁷
who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the
greater condemnation
."

The Widow's Offering

21
 
He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;
²
and he saw a poor widow put in
two copper coins
.
³
And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;
⁴
for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

5
 
And as some spoke of the temple
, how it was adorned with
noble stones
and offerings, he said,
⁶
"As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
⁷
And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"
⁸
And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for
many will come
in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.
⁹
And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once."

Signs and Persecutions

10
 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
¹¹
there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
¹²
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and
persecute you
, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
¹³
This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
¹⁴
Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
¹⁵
for I will give you
a mouth and wisdom
, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
¹⁶
You will be delivered up even by
parents and brothers and kinsmen
and friends, and some of you they will put to death;
¹⁷
you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
¹⁸
But not a hair of your head will perish.
¹⁹
By your endurance you will gain your lives.

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

20
 "But when you see
Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
²¹
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it;
²²
for these are
days of vengeance
, to fulfil all that is written.
²³
Alas for those who are with child and for those who are nursing in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people;
²⁴
they will fall by the edge of the sword
, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
 
*
are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25
 "And there will be signs in
sun and moon and stars
, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
²⁶
men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
²⁷
And then they will see
the Son of man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
²⁸
Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29
 And he told them a parable: "Look at the
fig tree
, and all the trees;
³⁰
as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
³¹
So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
³²
Truly, I say to you,
this generation
will not pass away till all has taken place.
³³
Heaven and earth
will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Exhortation to Watchfulness

34
 "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare;
³⁵
for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.
³⁶
But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and
to stand
before the Son of man."

37
 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet.
³⁸
And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

The Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

22
  
Now
the feast
of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.
²
And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death; for they feared the people.

3
 Then
Satan entered into Judas
called Iscariot, who was of the number of the Twelve;
⁴
he went away and conferred with the chief priests and
captains
how he might betray him to them.
⁵
And they were glad, and engaged to give him money.
⁶
So he agreed, and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude.

The Preparation of the Passover

7
 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
⁸
So Jesus
^h
sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it."
⁹
They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?"
¹⁰
He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house which he enters,
¹¹
and tell the householder, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?'
¹²
And he will show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready."
¹³
And they went, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.