AUTHORITY OF JESUS.

 FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE UNTO AN HOUSEHOLDER, WHICH WENT OUT EARLY IN THE MORNING TO HIRE LABOURERS INTO HIS VINEYARD.AND WHEN HE AGREED WITH THE LABOURSERS FOR PENNY A DAY, (32) DOLLARS HE SENT THEM INTO THE VINEYARD. AND ABOUT THE THIRD HOUR HE WENT OUT, AND SAW OTHERS STANDING IDLE IN THE MARKETPLACE, AND SAID UNTO THEM; GO YE ALSO INTO THE VINEYARD, AND WHATSOEVER IS RIGHT I WILL GIVE YOU. AND THEY WENT THEIR WAY. AGAIN HE WENT OUT ABOUT THE SIXTH HOUR (NOON) AND NINTH HOUR (3PM) AND DID LIKEWISE AND ABOUT THE ELEVENTH HOUR (5 PM) HE WENT OUT, AND FOUND OTHERS STANDING AROUND IDLE?  THEY SAY UNTO HIM, BECAUSE NO MAN HIRED US. HE SAITH UNTO THEM H GO YE ALSO INTO THE VINEYARD AND WHATSOEVER IS RIGHT, THAT SHALL YOU RECEIVE. SO WHEN EVENING WAS COME, THE LORD OF THE VINEYARD SAITH UNTO HIS STEWARD, CALL THE LABOURERS, AND GIVE THEM THEIR HIRE, BEGINNING FROM THE LAST UNTO THE FIRST. AND WHEN THEY CAME THAT WERE HIRED ABOUT THE ELEVENTH HOUR, THE RECEIVED EVERY MAN A PENNY ($32). BUT WHEN THE FIRST, THEY SUPPOSE THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED MORE; AND THEY LIKEWISE EVERY MAN RECEIVED A PENNY. ($32). BUT WHEN THE FIRST CAME, THEY SUPPOSED THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED MORE; AND THEY LIKEWISE RECEIVED EVERY MAN A PENNY. AND WHEN THEY HAVE RECEIVED IT THEY MURMURED AGAINST THE GOODMAN OF THE HOUSE, (LANDOWNER) SAYING ,, THESE LAST HAVE WROUGHT BUT ONE HOUR, AND THOU HAVE MADE THEM EQUAL UNTO US, WHICH HAVE BORN THE BURDEN AND  THE HEAT OF THE DAY DAY. BUT HE ANSWERED ONE OF THEM, AND SAID, FRIEND, I DO YOU NO WRONG: DID NOT THOU AGREE WITH ME FOR A PENNY ($32) TAKE THAT THINE IS AND GO THY WAY: I WILL GIVE UNTO THIS LAST, EVEN UNTO THEE. ONE DAY. WHEN HE WAS TEACHING THE PEOPLE IN THE TEMPLE AND PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS, THE HIGH PRIESTS AND PHARISEES ACCOMPANIED BY THE ELDERS, APPROACHED HIM WITH THE QUESTION, 'TELL US, BY WHAT AUTHORITY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS? IN OTHER WORDS, WHO HAS AUTHORIZED YOU?" HE REPLIED, " LET ME PUT A QUESTION FOR YOU TO ANSWER: DID THE BAPTISM OF JOHN COME FROM  GOD OR FROM MEN?" THEY HELD A BRIEF CONFERENCE DURING WHICH SOMEONE SAID, " IF WE ANSWER, " FROM GOD,' HE WILL SAY, ' THEN WHY DO YOU NOT BELIEVE IT?';  WHERE AS IF WE SAY, 'FROM MEN,' TE PEOPLE WILL STONE US, SO CONVINCED ARE THEY THAT JOHN WAS A PROPHET" THEY ENDED BY REPLYING THEY DID NOT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM, " IN THAT CASE, NEITHER WILL I TELL YOU BY WHOSE AUTHORITY I ACT. HE THEN BEGAN TO TELL THE PARABLE OF THE TENETS IN THE FOLLOWING PARABLE: "A MAN PLANTED A VINEYARD, LEASED IT T TENANT FARMERS, AND WENT AWAY FOR A LONG TIME. AT VINTAGE TIME HE SENT A SERVANT TO THE TENANT FARMERS TO RECEIVE  HIS SHARE OF THE CROP FROM THEM; ; BUT THEY BEAT HIM AND SENT HIM AWAY EMPTY-HANDED, AFTER TREATING HIM SHAMEFULLY. HE SENT STILL A THIRD, WHOM THEY LIKEWISE MALTREATED BEFORE DRIVING HIM AWAY. THE OWNER OF THE VINEYARD ASKED HIMSELF,'WHAT AM I TO DO NOW.? PERHAPS IF I SEND THE SON I LOVE, THEY WILL RESPECT HIM.' ' BUT WHEN THE TENANT FARMERS SAW THE SON, THEY REFLECTED, ' THIS IS THE HEIR. LET US KILL HIM SO THAT THE INHERITANCE WILL BE OURS'. WITH THAT THEY DRAGGED HIM OUTSIDE THE VINEYARD AND KILLED HIM. WHAT FATE DO YOU SUPPOSE THE OWNER OF THE VINEYARD HAS IN STORE FOR THEM. I WILL TELL YOU HE WILL MAKE A END TO THOSE TENANT FARMERS. WHEN THEY H/;'

JESUS SAID, "GOD FORBID!" HE LOOKED DIRECTLY AT THEM AND SAID, " WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES MEAN WHEN THEY SAY,, " THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE KEYSTONE OF THE STRUCTURE"?  THE MAN WHO FALLS ON THAT STONE WILL BE SMASHED TO PIECES. IT WILL MAKE DUST OF ANYONE ON WHOM IT FALLS. AT THESE WORDS THE SCRIBES AND HIGH PRIESTS TRIED TO GET THEIR HANDS ON HIM., BUT THEY WERE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE THEY WERE WELL AWARE THAT HE HAD TOLD THE PARABLE WITH THEM I MIND. WHAT FATE DO YOU SUPPOSE THE OWNER OF THE VINEYARD HAS IN STORE FOR THEM.?.. HE WILL MAKE AN END TO THOSE TENANT FARMERS AND GIVE THE VINEYARD TO OTHERS" (LK. 20:15-16.) LUKE    GIVES ONLY THE ESSENTIALS  OF THE PARABLE OF TE HOMICIDAL VINEYARD DRESSERS. MATTHEW AND MARK HAVE ALREADY BROUGHT OUT THE OWNER'S SOLICITUDE FOR HIS VINEYARD, WHICH HE ENTRUSTED TO THE CRIMINALS TENANTS (MAT 21 AN MARK CHAP 12). IN A STORY OF THIS SORT, THE ALLEGORY IS CARRIED THROUGH FROM THE BEGINNING TO END. . THE IDENTIFICATION OF CHRIST WITH THE IMMOLATED SON IS OBVIOUS.  THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SUPPLANTING OF THE VINEDRESSERS OF THE TEMPORAL ISRAEL BY THOSE OF THE NEW ISRAEL IS ALSO CLEAR (LK 20:16).   SOME SADDUCEES CAME FORWARD ( THE ONES WHO CLAIM THERE IS NO RESURRECTION) TO POSE THIS PROBLEM TO HIM. " MASTER, MOSES PRESCRIBED THAT IF A MAN'S BROTHER DIES LEAVING A WIFE AND NO CHILD THE BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIDOW AND RAISE POSTERITY TO HIS BROTHER. NOW THERE WERE SEVEN BROTHERS. THE FIRST ONE MARRIED AND DIED CHILDLESS, NEXT THE SECOND BROTHER MARRIED THE WIDOW, THEN THE THIRD, AND SO ON. ALL SEVEN DIED WITHOUT LEAVING HER ANY CHILDREN. FINALLY THE WIDOW HERSELF DIED. AT THE RESURRECTION, WHOSE WIFE WILL SHE BE? REMEMBER, SEVEN MARRIED HER". JESUS SAID TO THEM: " THE CHILDREN OF THIS AGE MARRY AND OUR GIVEN IN MARRIAGE. BUT THOSE JUDGE WORTHY OF A PLACE IN THE AGE TO COME AND OF RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD DO NOT. THEY BECOME LIKE ANGELS AND ARE NO LONGER LIABLE FOR DEATH. SONS OF RESURRECTION, THEY ARE SONS OF GOD. MOSES IN THE PASSAGE ABOUT THE BUSH SHOWED THAT THE DEAD RISE AGAIN WHEN HE CALLED THE LORD THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND THE GOD OF ISAAC AND THE GOD OF JACOB. GOD IS NOT HE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING ALL ARE ALIVE FOR HIM. THEY DID NOT ASK ANY MORE QUESTIONS.