Shared Word Translation
Matthew 21
The Authority of Jesus
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you answer me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John—from where was it? From heaven or from human beings?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Two Sons
“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Child, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I do not want to.’ But later he changed his mind and went. And going to the second, he said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of the father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And you, when you saw it, did not afterward change your minds and believe him.