Study Desk

The religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law saw the great things He did. They heard the children calling in the house of God and saying, "Greatest One! Son of David!" The leaders were very angry.

Jesus came into the house of God. The religious leaders and the other leaders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching. They said, "By what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power to do them?"

But if we say, ‘From men,' we are afraid of the people, because they all think John was one who spoke for God."

For John came to you preaching about being right with God. You did not believe him. But tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies did believe him. When you saw this, you were not sorry for your sins and did not turn from them and believe him.

I say to you, because of this, the holy nation of God will be taken from you. It will be given to a nation that will give fruit.

When they tried to put their hands on Him, they were afraid of the many people. The people thought He was One Who spoke for God.

They sent their followers to Jesus with some of King Herod's men. They asked, "Teacher, we know that You are true. We know that You are teaching the truth about God. We know You are not afraid of what men think or say about You.

They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Pay to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. Pay to God the things that belong to God."

Jesus said to them, "You are wrong because you do not know the Holy Writings or the power of God.

Have you not read what God said to you about those who are raised from the dead? He said,

‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead but of the living!"

Jesus said to him, "‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

"It is bad for you, blind leaders! You say, ‘Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, his promise is worth nothing. But whoever makes a promise by the gold of the house of God, then his promise has to be kept.'

You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the house of God that makes the gold holy?

Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, promises by it and by Him Who is in it.

Whoever makes a promise by heaven, promises by the throne of God and by Him Who sits there.

"It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You make buildings for the graves of the early preachers, and you make the graves beautiful of those who are right with God.

"Because of this, I am going to keep on sending to you men who speak for God and wise men and teachers of the Law. Some of them you will kill and nail to a cross. Some of them you will beat in your places of worship. You will make it very hard for them as they go from city to city.

Because of this, you will be guilty of the blood of all those right with God on the earth. It will be from the blood of Abel who was right with God to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachias. He was the one you killed between the house of God and the altar.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the men who speak for God and throw stones at those who were sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children around Me, as a chicken gathers her young ones under her wings. But you would not let Me.