A Question with a Question….and (another) Parable

Jan 9, 2014Cary Curry

John 20

I don’t believe you can read the gospels without falling in love with how Jesus taught through the parables…unless the parable is about you and whether or not you are willing to admit it, know you’ve been had!!

The Pharisees sought out Jesus who had been teaching in the temple and they were quick to question his authority by asking:

“By what authority are You doing these things?”

“Who gave You this authority?”

And so, a question with a question as Jesus asked them about the validity of John’s baptism, which they would not answer. So Jesus taught how he taught best…with a parable:

The Parable of the Tenants

He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone   ?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”


The Pharisees and chief priests finally realized that He was speaking about them. No matter how hard they tried to entrap Jesus in His words, He always dismantled their resentful reasoning and exposed their hypocrisy.