Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Luke chapter 20 and the Gospel of Matthew
chapter 22. Luke chapter 20. Now it happened
on one of those days, as he taught the people
in the temple and preached the gospel, that the
chief priests and the scribes, together with
the elders, confronted him and spoke to him,
saying, Tell us by what authority are you doing
these things? Or who is he who gave you this
authority? But he answered and said to them,
I also will ask you one thing, and answer me.
The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from
men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
If we say from heaven, he will say, Why then
did you not believe him? But if we say from men,
all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded
that John was a prophet. So they answered that
they did not know where it was from. And Jesus
said to them, Neither will I tell you by what
authority I do these things. Then he began to
tell the people this parable. A certain man planted
a vineyard, leased it to vine dressers, and went
into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage
time he sent a servant to the vine dressers,
that they might give him some of the fruit of
the vineyard. But the vine dressers beat him
and sent him away empty -handed. Again he sent
another servant, and they beat him also. treated
him shamefully, and sent him away empty -handed.
And again he sent a third, and they wounded him
also, and cast him out. Then the owner of the
vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my
beloved son. Probably they will respect him when
they see him. But when the vine dressers saw
him, they reasoned among themselves, saying,
This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that
the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him
out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore,
what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
He will come and destroy those vine dressers
and give the vineyard to others. And when they
heard it, they said, Certainly not. Then he looked
at them and said, What then is this that is written?
The stone which the builders rejected has become
the chief cornerstone. Whoever falls on that
stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls
it will grind them to powder. And the chief priests
and the scribes that very hour sought to lay
hands on him, but they feared the people, for
they knew he had spoken this parable against
them. So they watched him and sent spies who
pretended to be righteous, that they might seize
on his words in order to deliver him to the power
and the authority of the governor. Then they
asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that you
say and teach rightly, and you do not show personal
favoritism. But teach the way of God in truth.
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or
not? But he perceived their craftiness and said
to them, Why do you test me? Show me a denarius.
Whose image and inscription does it have? They
answered and said, Caesar's. And he said to them,
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
But they could not catch him in his words in
the presence of the people, and they marveled
at his answer and kept silent. Then some of the
Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection,
came to him and asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses
wrote to us that if a man's brother dies having
a wife, and he dies without children, his brother
should take his wife and raise up offspring for
his brother. Now there are seven brothers, and
the first took a wife and died without children,
and the second took her as wife, and he died
childless. Then the third took her, and in like
manner the seven also. And they left no children
and died. Last of all, the woman died also. Therefore,
in the resurrection, whose wife does she become?
For all seven had her as wife. Jesus answered
and said to them, The sons of this age marry
and are given in marriage. But those who are
counted worthy to attain that age and the resurrection
from the dead, neither marry nor are given in
marriage. nor can they die anymore, for they
are equal to the angels and are sons of God,
being sons of the resurrection. But even Moses
showed in the burning bush passage that the dead
are raised, when he called the Lord the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
For he is not the God of the dead, but of the
living, for all live to him. Then some of the
scribes answered and said, Teacher, you have
spoken well. But after that they dared not question
him anymore. And he said to them, How can they
say that the Christ is the son of David? Now
David himself said in the book of Psalms, The
Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till
I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore
David calls him Lord. How is he then his son?
Then in hearing of all the people, he said to
his disciples, Beware of the scribes who desire
to go around in long robes. Love greetings in
the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues,
and the best places at feasts, who devour widows'
houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.
These will receive greater condemnation. And
Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables,
and said, The kingdom of heaven is like a certain
king who arranged a marriage for his son. and
sent out his servants to call those who were
invited to the wedding, and they were not willing
to come. Again he sent out other servants, saying,
Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared
my dinner, my oxen and fatted calf are killed,
and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.
But they made light of it and went their ways,
one to his own farm, another to his business,
and the rest seized his servants, treated them
spitefully, and killed them. But when the king
heard about it, he was furious, and he sent out
his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned
up their city. Then he said to his servants,
The wedding is ready, but those who were invited
were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways,
and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.
So those servants went out into the highways
and gathered together all whom they found, both
bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled
with guests. But when the king came in to see
the guests, he saw a man there who did not have
on a wedding garment. So he said to him, Friend,
how did you come in here without a wedding garment?
And he was speechless. Then the king said to
the servants, Bind him hand and foot. Take him
away and cast him into outer darkness. There
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many
are called, but few are chosen. Then the Pharisees
went and plotted how they might entangle him
in his talk. And they sent to him their disciples
with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know
that you are true, and teach the way of God in
truth. Nor do you care about anyone, for you
do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore,
what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes
to Caesar or not? And Jesus perceived their wickedness
and said, Why do you test me, you hypocrites?
Show me the tax money. So they brought him a
denarius. And he said to them, Whose image and
inscription is this? They said to him, Caesars.
And he said to them, Render therefore to Caesar
the things that are Caesar's, and to God the
things that are God's. When they had heard these
words, they marveled and left him and went their
way. The same day the Sadducees, who say there
is no resurrection, came to him and asked him,
saying, Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies,
having no children, his brother shall marry his
wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
Now there were with us seven brothers. The first
died after he had married and having no offspring,
left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second
also, and the third even to the seventh. Last
of all, the woman died also. Therefore, in the
resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she
be? For they all had her. Jesus answered and
said to them, You are mistaken. not knowing the
scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning
the resurrection of the dead, have you not read
what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but
of the living. And when the multitudes heard
this, they were astonished at his teaching. But
when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced
the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one
of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing
him and saying, Teacher, which is the great commandment
in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
first and great commandment, and the second is
like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, saying, What do you
think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They
said to him, The son of David. He said to them,
How then does David in the spirit call him Lord,
saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right
hand till I make your enemies your footstool.
If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?
And no one was able to answer him a word, nor
from that day on did anyone dare question him.
anymore i hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as i did and i look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey god
bless you and have a great day