Matthew 20-21

New King James Version

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing ^[a]idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, ^[b]and whatever is right you will receive.’

⁸ “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ ⁹ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they ^[c]complained against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ^15 (A)Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or ^(B)is your eye evil because I am good?’ ^16 (C)So the last will be first, and the first last. ^(D)For^[d] many are called, but few chosen.”

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(E)

^17 (F)Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, ^18 (G)“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, ^19 (H)and deliver Him to the Gentiles to ^(I)mock and to ^(J)scourge and to ^(K)crucify. And the third day He will ^(L)rise again.”

Greatness Is Serving^(M)

^20 (N)Then the mother of ^(O)Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

²¹ And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine ^(P)may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

²² But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink ^(Q)the cup that I am about to drink, ^[e]and be baptized with ^(R)the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

²³ So He said to them, ^(S)“You will indeed drink My cup, ^[f]and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

^24 (T)And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet ^(U)it shall not be so among you; but ^(V)whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ^27 (W)And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— ^28 (X)just as the ^(Y)Son of Man did not come to be served, ^(Z)but to serve, and ^(AA)to give His life a ransom ^(AB)for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight^(AC)

^29 (AD)Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. ³⁰ And behold, ^(AE)two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, ^(AF)Son of David!”

³¹ Then the multitude ^(AG)warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”

³² So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

³³ They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” ³⁴ So Jesus had ^(AH)compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

The Triumphal Entry^(AI)

21 Now ^(AJ)when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to ^[g]Bethphage, at ^(AK)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. ³ And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

^4 [h]All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

^6 (AM)So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, ^(AN)laid their clothes on them, ^[i]and set Him on them. ⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; ^(AO)others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

^10 (AQ)And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

¹¹ So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, ^(AR)the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple^(AS)

^12 (AT)Then Jesus went into the temple ^[j]of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the ^(AU)money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ And He said to them, “It is written, ^(AV)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ^(AW)‘den of thieves.’ ”

¹⁴ Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the ^(AX)Son of David!” they were ^[k]indignant ¹⁶ and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”

And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,

¹⁷ Then He left them and ^(AZ)went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

The Fig Tree Withered^(BA)

^18 (BB)Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. ^19 (BC)And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree^(BD)

^20 (BE)And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

²¹ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(BF)if you have faith and ^(BG)do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, ^(BH)but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. ²² And ^(BI)whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus’ Authority Questioned^(BJ)

^23 (BK)Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and ^(BL)said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

²⁴ But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: ²⁵ The ^(BM)baptism of ^(BN)John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we ^(BO)fear the multitude, ^(BP)for all count John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”

And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my ^(BQ)vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, ^(BR)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For ^(BS)John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; ^(BT)but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward ^[l]relent and believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(BU)

³³ “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner ^(BV)who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and ^(BW)went into a far country. ³⁴ Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. ^35 (BX)And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. ³⁷ Then last of all he sent his ^(BY)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ^(BZ)‘This is the heir. ^(CA)Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ^39 (CB)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”

^41 (CC)They said to Him, ^(CD)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, ^(CE)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will ^[m]render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ “Therefore I say to you, ^(CG)the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. ⁴⁴ And ^(CH)whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, ^(CI)it will grind him to powder.”

⁴⁵ Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they ^[n]perceived that He was speaking of them. ⁴⁶ But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they ^(CJ)feared the multitudes, because ^(CK)they took Him for a prophet.