Mark 12:1-17

Jesus began to speak to them [the chief priests, scribes and elders who were questioning Him] in parables: “A man PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A PIT FOR THE WINE PRESS AND BUILT A TOWER; and he rented it out to tenant farmers and left the country. [Is 5:1, 2; Matt 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19] When the harvest season came he sent a servant to the tenants, in order to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. They took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and they [threw stones and] wounded him in the head, and treated him disgracefully. And he sent another, and that one they killed; then many others—some they beat and some they killed. He still had one man left to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to each other, ‘This man is the heir! Come on, let us kill him [and destroy the evidence], and his inheritance will be ours!’ So they took him and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REGARDED AS UNWORTHY and REJECTED, THIS [very stone] HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS and WONDERFUL IN OUR EYES’?” [Ps 118:22, 23] And they were looking for a way to seize Him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they knew that He spoke this parable in reference to [and as a charge against] them. And so they left Him and went away. Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus in order to trap Him into making a statement [that they could use against Him]. [Matt 22:15-22; Luke 20:20-26] They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and have no personal bias toward anyone; for You are not influenced by outward appearances or social status, but in truth You teach the way of God. Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay the poll-tax to [Tiberius] Caesar, or not? Should we pay [the tax] or should we not pay?” But knowing their hypocrisy, He asked them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a coin (denarius) to look at.” So they brought one. Then He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were greatly amazed at Him.